


Exploration into Human Connection

by ComeOnNowGuysHowCanEveryUsernameBeTaken



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angry Sex, Angst, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Break Up, Canon Rewrite, Domestic Violence, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Sex, Eventual Romance, Except Abed, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Healthy Relationships, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jealousy, Light BDSM, Love, Love Confessions, Manipulation, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Rich isn't perfect, Slow Burn, Smut, Unhealthy Relationships, no one is, turning saints into the sea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:07:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 67,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25825630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComeOnNowGuysHowCanEveryUsernameBeTaken/pseuds/ComeOnNowGuysHowCanEveryUsernameBeTaken
Summary: A re-imagined telling of Dan Harmon’s Community in which Rich agrees to go out with Annie back in season 2.READ AUTHOR’S NOTES BEFORE AND AFTER CHAPTERS FOR ANY TRIGGER WARNINGS/ SAFE SUMMARIES.
Relationships: Abed Nadir/Rachel (Community), Andre Bennett/Shirley Bennett, Annie Edison/Jeff Winger, Annie Edison/Rich Stephenson, Britta Perry/Jeff Winger, Ian Duncan/Britta Perry, Troy Barnes/Britta Perry
Comments: 103
Kudos: 182





	1. Asian Population Studies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rich says yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi so this is actually my first ever fan fiction. Yikes. Anyway, just a note for context; everything before season 2 episode 12 happened in this story. Everything afterwards however, is subject to change. Oh, and I feel like this goes without saying but, spoiler alert (and no, I don’t mean nerd alert).

Trying to hide is exasperation, Rich rose from his seat with a slight grunt.  
“I think, that this is a good time,” he said, gesturing to the door with two-pointed fingers, “to go.”  
With that, he turned on his heels and paced out of the study room, leaving the high tension behind him.  
“Rich, no!” shouted Pierce and Annie, uniformly. Annie raced out after him. Pierce was quick to follow. Well, he was as quick as he could be. Before following Rich and Annie, he turned to Jeff as he was in the doorway.  
“You finally did it, Jeff Winger,” he scolded, “You finally hurt this group in a way that it’ll never heal.”  
Not seeing the irony in his misplaced blame, having just revealed Shirley and Chang’s affair, he shook his head disapprovingly and left, shouting, “Kettle corn!”  
The rest of the group stared in shock. Britta sucked in her lips and bit down on them tightly as if she was holding in an awkward attempt to relieve the tension. Jeff refused to turn back around, his eyes still fixed on the door in which Chang, Andre, Shirley, Rich, Annie and Pierce had just stormed out of.  
“I uh,” he started tiredly, “I’m just gonna- ” And with that, he left for the bathroom. Troy, Abed and Britta sat in an uncomfortable silence before Abed sighed. “Ah, the falling-out. Will the group ever reconcile before the end of the episode?” Britta and Troy exchanged an uneasy glance as the room fell back into silence.

Jeff stood in the bathroom, evaluating himself in the mirror. For someone who worked exceptionally hard to stay in good shape and keep himself content with his appearance, he felt disgusted by the face staring back at him in the mirror. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the door swing open tentatively.  
“There you are!” Annie’s voice sounded from the bathroom’s opening. Jeff tried not to look too startled as she charged into the restroom.  
“Can you please explain to me what the hell you’ve been doing?” She questioned, crossing her arms in aggravation.  
“Well, Annie,” he started, staring down at her sarcastically, “when a man loves food and beverages, very much, and they pass through his system, they make a- “  
Annie shook her head and cut off his flippant response, “I’m not in the mood, Jeff. Explain your behaviour with Rich, today.”  
“Sorry, not everyone is as in love with Dr. Do-No-Wrong as you are. And don’t say it’s because I’m jealous of him being with you.”  
“Oh, come on, Jeff!” she said, raising her voice, “I’m sick of this! One minute, I’m too young to date, the next you’re trying to get rid of guys I like. Either you want me, or you don’t. What’s it gonna be?”  
“I wish I could give you an answer that makes sense, but relationships are complicated and- we’re in the men’s room.”  
“Fine. Well, I’m gonna ask Rich out. Nothing complicated about that.” She offered him nothing more than a tight lip smile as she turned for the door. Jeff watched her leave and a wave of regret and shame washed over him as he dipped his head down, pursing his lips.  
Annie felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders as the door to the men’s room snapped shut behind her. There was, however, a tiny yet undeniable feeling of apprehension within her. She had finally told off Jeff… but she wasn’t sure this was the outcome she wanted. Her overwhelming thoughts disappeared instantly as she almost bumped into Britta.  
“Sorry.” Annie stated rather bluntly, her mind elsewhere, as she started down the hall to track down Rich again.

She found him right by the doors of the school. He had his coat on and his hand on the door, about to walk out. She quickened her pace, lightly running down the hall to stop him.  
“Rich- “  
He turned around to face her. She could tell the group had worn him out as his smile seemed less than genuine. She stopped right in front of him and reached out to take his hand off of the door.  
“Annie, you and your group seem like a real… unique bunch,” he said chuckling. Annie cracked a weak smile at his understated observation. “I don’t want to come between you guys. Seems like you’ve got a great thing going on with them. All this drama started when you tried to bring in a new member. Maybe you guys are… y’know ‘perfect’ the way you are.”  
Annie bowed her head, seriously considering this. “You’re right. I mean we’re like a family. Albeit, dysfunctional… really dysfunctional, but still a family. Trying to force you into all that was wrong. I’m really sorry I put you in that position.”  
“Hey, it’s no trouble, Annie. Believe me, I know a thing or two about dysfunctional families,” Rich’s smile faded for a second, but he corrected his somber face as he continued, “It’s not always easy.”  
“Forgive me?” She asked, looking up at him with a pleading smile. He drew her in for a hug and said, “Of course, Annie!” Rich pat her on the back and eased off, trying to end the hug. Annie awkwardly hung on a moment longer, scared for what would come next. Once she let go, silence filled the air. Rich opened his mouth to say something at the same time as Annie. They both laughed softly and Rich insisted, “you first.”  
“I was just wondering, I mean it’s kind of late and all. Maybe would you wanna grab some dinner or something? I mean we’ve just been filling up on skittles and kettle corn. That’s hardly adequate. Not that the kettle corn was bad, or anything! It was great. I mean, I love kettle corn, but- do you want to go out with me? For dinner?”  
Rich tried not to laugh at Annie’s skittish nature. He found her fumbled ask-out attempt to be more than adorable.  
“Yeah, I could eat. My car’s out here,” he explained, gleefully pointing out the door to the parking lot. Annie bit her bottom lip, trying not to squeal. She jumped a bit before agreeing to meet him outside after telling the group she’d be leaving with him. She made her way back to the library where she found Abed standing by the study room’s door. He was leaning against it, a bored, blank expression on his face. She felt a pang of sadness for him as he probably found tonight’s drama dull and inactive. She could tell he was longing for a more exciting adventure. Never mind that now, though.  
“Hey, I’m going out for dinner with Rich,” she smiled.  
“Dating an outsider? Hmm, risky. They’re never the audience’s favourite.” Abed explained, frankly. Annie fought an eye roll.  
“Whatever. I’m not telling you for approval,” Abed’s eyebrows jumped up briefly. With what, doubt? “Could you just let the others know? I’m leaving.”  
With that she turned back and met Rich outside. He graciously held open the car door for her as she beamed and slid in.

Meanwhile, Jeff had been outside the library, talking with Andre as per Britta’s demand- er uh… request. Andre left Jeff out in the rain with a friendly punch on the arm. Jeff turned to watch Andre leave, his respect for the man growing. Abed sauntered up to take his place. Jeff turned back to watch the rain fall.  
“Hey.”  
“Hi.”  
“Annie just talked to me,” Abed said glancing at Jeff. He tried to gage his reaction for some sort of feeling, but Jeff’s guarded, uninterested expression made him hard to read. Even for Abed. Jeff offered nothing more than a nod of acknowledgement.  
“She asked Rich out,” Abed explained further. Again, no reaction.  
“Cool.”  
A moment of silence fell between them. Abed wished he could give Jeff the news he wanted to hear. But he had to tell him the truth.  
“He said, ‘yes’” Abed concluded. He may have caught a glimpse of feeling as Jeff’s eyes fluttered for a moment. “They’re going to dinner, now,” Abed continued probing, testing Jeff for a bigger reaction. Jeff just turned to face Abed, smiled softly, bowed his head and walked back inside.  
Following Andre into the study room, Jeff and Abed watched as the group shared smiles of forgiveness and contentment. Pierce stretched his arm around Britta, giving it a slight squeeze. Unsure of the old man’s intentions, Britta’s smile dropped as she turned to him. Pierce’s hand retreated off her shoulder, uncomfortable under Britta’s unhappy gaze. The room’s atmosphere was much lighter than before. The tension- and Chang’s presence- gone. The silence shared between their smiles was not uncomfortable, but safe and welcoming. Andre drew Shirley in for a hug and explained to the other group members that they ought to be heading home. They left, followed by Pierce and Troy. Jeff and Britta adorned their coats and bags as they left for the doors.  
“Abed, buddy, you coming?” Britta questioned, slight concern leaking through her voice.  
“Yeah. I have some reflecting to do,” he stated, turning his gaze away from his friends and back to the wall.  
“Okay,” Britta relented after a moment of silence. She and Jeff walked outside. They paused for a moment to say their good byes.  
“Hey, you’re gonna be okay, right?” Britta asked.  
“Yeah, why?”  
“Well, you don’t like Rich. And now he’s going out with Annie. And you like Annie.”  
“Exactly! Well, you’ll ace tomorrow’s test, that’s for sure,” Jeff said with a smirk.  
Britta scowled, “Whatever, Jeff. Let’s just not have a repeat of last time when you went all coo-coo over pottery.”  
Jeff nodded, accepting the reminder of his embarrassing outburst.  
“Goodnight, Britta.”  
“Yeah, ‘night, Jeff.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes so this chapter was mostly just transcribed from the episode itself. I promise from here on out it’ll get a lot more creative as I can manipulate the story more. That being said, I’m going to try to stay somewhat true to the original story. You may find yourself directly reading scenes from the show. I will try to avoid doing this too much but the completionist in me wants me to write everything that happens. EVERYTHING. Anyway, don't be afraid to comment! I look forward to this journey and I hope you all enjoy! <3


	2. Introduction to Dating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rich and Annie go out for dinner after a dramatic day at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For context, this takes place directly after the previous chapter. No warnings for this chapter, very tame! Hope you like it <3

Annie sat tall in the passenger seat. She hadn’t stopped smiling since she met him outside in the parking lot. However, she couldn’t help but feel a bit timid around Rich. This was one of her first ever real, _adult_ dates. Dating Vaughn felt very youthful. Their dates consisted of sitting outside, holding hands and occasional kisses. The furthest she'd gone with Vaughn wasn't anything too intense. He never pressured her so she never worried herself with getting too intimate with him. Annie nearly felt nauseous thinking about her unpreparedness. Rich was perfect and she felt like a bumbling idiot around him. Even his car was flawless; driving so smoothly that it hardly felt like they were moving.  
“So, where would you like to go?” Rich asked, glancing at her for only a moment before locking his eyes back on the road ahead.  
“Oh, any where’s fine!” Annie responded. Rich nodded, suggesting a small diner a few blocks over.  
“I go there sometimes after a long day of work. The staff is great, really all stand-up people. You’ll fit right in,” he winked. Annie blushed at the subtle compliment and squeaked out a little hum of approval. They drove the rest of the way there in silence, listening to the classical music that was softly waltzing out of the radio. Rich pulled into the diner’s parking lot as Annie inspected the restaurant. It seemed modest enough. It had a 50s feel without being too in-your-face about the aesthetic. Annie noted some Italian flair with the neon lights being green, white and red.  
“Family-owned,” Rich noted, “Come on, let’s see if we can get a booth.”  
They unbuckled and jogged over to the door. Rich pulled it open and stood to the side to let Annie walk through. She smiled, thanking him. As she walked in, she felt Rich’s hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her through the door. She felt her heart flutter from the contact of his kind hand on her body. Smiling at the black-haired, tired looking worker behind the counter, she felt Rich’s hand leave her back as he raised it in a friendly wave.  
“Hey, Maggie! This is Annie. We were hoping we could get a booth,” Rich said, playfully crossing his fingers. The woman behind the counter looked kindly at the couple through squinted eyes.  
“Rich, come on in. Real busy night… as you can see,” Maggie chuckled half-heartedly. The restaurant was empty. Annie didn't know whether or not she should laugh. She settled on a smile that probably looked strained as Maggie waved them in, “Sit wherever, I’ll send Tina over with menus.”  
Rich pointed at a booth in the corner of the restaurant. The two sat across from each other, smiling and blushing like two smitten teenagers. Another girl with black hair and brown eyes strode over to them. She shared Maggie’s soft face, yet her expression was less warm and welcoming. She was thinner compared to her mother’s full figure. She looked much more awake than Maggie did. She laid down the menus and before she could speak, Rich opened his mouth.  
“Annie, this is Tina. She’s Maggie’s eldest daughter. She went to culinary school and- don’t tell Mags I said this- but her cooking is by far the best,” he said offering a friendly wink. Tina clearly uncomfortable with the praise, raised her eyebrows and smiled rigidly. Annie plunged her hand towards Tina.  
“Annie Edison, I’ve got to say your family has quite the lovely place here.” Annie’s hand remained still in the air as Tina evaluated her with judgy eyes. Tina smiled awkwardly and accepted the handshake. Tina’s grip was weak and unsure. Annie pulled her hand back and tucked it in her lap, trying not to let her embarrassment show.  
“Yeeaaah, it’s great,” Tina grumbled, “Uh, let me know when you want something, ‘kay?” Before either of them could respond, Tina shuffled back into the kitchen. Annie watched her leave and caught an annoyed expression from Maggie.  
“Talented cook, terrible host,” Maggie criticized, shaking her head as she followed her daughter into the kitchen.  
Annie smiled at Maggie’s comment. “Sweet family,” she offered with a laugh. Rich went on to explain how he came to meet the family. He recounted many nights, coming to the diner near closing and hitting it off with the family. He even shared some charming stories involving Tina as a personable girl, which seemed hard for Annie to believe. Annie met the rest of the family. Maggie was married to a chubby, short man with a bald head named Al. He sported sleek black sunglasses and large gold rings on his pudgy fingers. They had 5 children; Tina, Roberto, Alonzo, Maria, and Luca. Tina and Roberto worked together in the kitchen on meals with occasional help from Maggie.  
“I prefer to be the face of the company,” Maggie joked. She would often stand by the door to greet customers. Alonzo got stuck with cleaning duty, almost always seen zipping around the restaurant with a mop or a rag to keep the place spotless. Maria and Luca were the young twins. At 10 years old, they had no other job but to stay out of mischief. Tonight was proving to be extremely difficult for the twins though. Maria tugged on Maggie’s apron and whispered, not all that quietly, “Momma, is that Rich’s new girlfriend?” Maggie shushed her daughter, giving her a brisk shove to the back kitchen. Maria’s other half- Luca- however, was much more upfront. He strutted over to the booth and gave Rich a powerful elbow jab in the leg. Rich turned his attention down to the smirking child.  
“You hit that?” he asked, nodding towards Annie. Annie’s jaw dropped and her face flushed red. Her eyes flew down to her lap as she anxiously played with her fingers. The impish boy's comment definitely didn't help ease her nausea. Rich stared at Luca, expressionless.  
“Luca! Vai in cucina, adesso. _ADESSO_!” Maggie shouted, charging towards the booth. Luca fled to join his twin sister in the back, running like a dog with his tail between his legs. Maggie nearly keeled over in laughter, slapping her hands down on her knees to support herself. Annie sat still as a stone, unwilling to make eye contact with Rich.  
“I am so sorry. He is blunt. Too much like his father for his own good.” Maggie snickered. Calming down, she then readdressed them, “Okay okay, I will leave you two alone and go back to the kitchen. Tell me what you’ll have.”  
Rich was the first to break the tense silence with a cough. “Might I make a recommendation?”  
Annie shrugged and nodded, still too embarrassed to say a word. Her eyes stayed fixed on the ground. Rich grimaced uncomfortably, worried by Annie's silence, and then nodded to Maggie. “Two pesto chicken sandwiches, please Mags.” Maggie offered a sympathetic smile to Rich before turning to waddle into the kitchen. Rich and Annie refused to look at one another until the kitchen door swung shut and an eruption of laughter and scolding could be heard in the back of the restaurant. Annie raised a hand to her forehead, shielding herself from the torment. She heard Rich chuckle and finally met his eyes. He wasn't as red as she was. A smile tugged at his lips. Her embarrassment slowly left her blood flow as she sighed, reciprocating a smile.  
“He’s bold, I’ll give him that,” said Rich. Annie smiled. “Really,” she agreed. Before another bout of silence could over take them, Annie spoke up.  
“So, the pesto chicken sandwich?” Rich nodded.  
“And how’d you figure I’m not a vegetarian?” she challenged. Rich’s smile dropped immediately and Annie could practically see his heart stop. It was too much. She cracked a devious smile as Rich let out a laugh of relief.  
“Well, jeez! You trying to make me sweat?”  


At Jeff’s apartment, he sat alone on a big leather armchair with his feet up. Scotch in one hand, his phone in the other. His TV was playing the news in the background. He wasn’t really paying attention as he stared at the wall just above his TV. All his lights were off. He sat in complete darkness other than the flickering glow of 9 o’clock news. His eyes narrowed as his eyelids kept threatening to close, exhausted by the drama of the day. Just as he was dozing off, he felt his phone vibrate in his hand. He clicked it on to find a notification from Abed.  
Abed: _Jeff_  
He debated responding. Rolling his eyes and taking a swift swig of scotch, he started typing.  
Jeff: _What is it, Abed?_  
Abed: _How’s it going?_  
Before Jeff could type out an answer, Abed sent another message.  
Abed: _You drowning your sorrows in buckets of alcohol?_  
Jeff rolled his eyes again and turned his attention back to the wall. Not even a minute passed before his phone vibrated again. Abed.  
Abed: _Jeff?_  
Jeff: _Goodnight, Abed._

“You live here?” Rich asked nervously, trying not to let too much judgement sound through his voice. Annie huffed and blushed a bit before responding matter-of-factly.  
“I told you, you could’ve just dropped me off a block over. Save me the embarrassment.”  
“Yeeahhh,” Rich started, his voice full of doubt, “I don’t think that would’ve been a good idea.” He paused to think back to the numerous dark alley ways he drove past, suddenly feeling great fear for Annie. Though Rich’s words were coming from a place of friendly concern, Annie took offence to his lack of confidence in her.  
“Whatever, I can handle myself just fine. I’ve been doing it for years,” she retorted. Rich pulled up to the sidewalk and parked. He and Annie climbed out of the car and made their way up to the apartments above Dildopolis. Pulling a key from her bag, she nodded to one of the doors. “This is me.”  
Suddenly a rush of nervous energy took over her as she looked at him standing dangerously close, eyeing her down. Butterflies invaded her stomach as he stepped in. Her mind started racing. _Oh god,_ she thought, _am I supposed to invite him in? No, no, not on the first date. He's just dropping me off. But is he expecting something? He did pay for dinner after all… No don’t be ridiculous. You don’t owe him anything. What is it that Britta says? Something about the… what is it? Male ego? Unjustified expectations? Ugh, why isn’t he saying anything. Do I just go in and leave him out here? No, I can’t do that._  
Annie’s mind went blank as she noticed Rich’s gaze settled hungrily upon her lips. He raised one hand to swipe some hair out of her face, his warm fingers brushing lightly against her cheek. His other hand slipped around her waist as he gave her a gentle pull towards him.  
_He’s going to kiss you. Oh god, okay, okay. Close your eyes._  
Annie closed her eyes and tilted her head ever so slightly upwards, ready to accept a kiss. She was surprised when she felt Rich’s determined lips pressed- not against her own lips but- against her forehead. She looked up at him from underneath her eyelashes breathlessly as he pulled away.  
“Goodnight, Annie,” he said quietly, turning down the hall.  
“Thank you,” she replied, though she was sure Rich was out of earshot. She stood dumbfounded in the hall, confused and conflicted over Rich’s lack of advances. She unlocked her door, and walked into her small apartment. Her face remained perplexed as she leaned against her door, throwing her head back a little too roughly against it.  
_Did that mean the date was bad? Or is he just taking things slow? Or… what was that?_


	3. Celebrity Pharmacology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter opens before the beginning of Celebrity Pharmacology. In the show, I think every episode is like a week apart but for the sake of this fic, this episode is happening one or two days after Asian Population Studies. Some scenes will be like the episode itself while other scenes will be altered and more scenes will be added. Sometimes I think I over-explain things. Okay… Enjoy! No trigger warnings for this one.

Annie struggled down the hall with a box of costumes and props. She had apparel draped over her arms and still more things tumbling around in the box. She felt the box start slipping through her fingers. _Oh no_ , she thought, knowing the box was soon to crash onto the ground.  
“Annie, hey!” a voice called from behind her. Before she could turn her head, she felt a pointy elbow jab into her arm.  
“How was the- “ the arm nudge caused Annie to drop the box, cat ears and bee suits spilling on to the floor. Annie turned to face the offender with a glare. Britta’s eyes dropped to the mess on the floor.  
“Date?” she finished, looking back up at Annie with an apologetic wince. Britta dropped to the ground on her knees, placing her coffee cup on the floor so she could refill the box.  
“Sorry, Annie.”  
“It’s fine,” Annie shrugged and shook her head as she too knelt down to pick up the costumes. Britta offered to take some of the outfits from her hands as Annie handled the box. They walked into the study room together.  
Annie dropped the box on the desk with an exasperated sigh. Britta tossed the other costumes in the box. Annie smiled warmly at Britta as a thank you before rifling through her bag to find the scripts.  
“So, what are you doing here so early?” Annie questioned.  
“No reason,” Britta tossed dismissively, “and come on, you never told me how the date went? Was he the perfect gentleman?” she asked falsely gushing. Annie ignored Britta’s bitter sarcasm.  
“It was fine,” Annie said. Britta screwed up her face in confusion, then her eyes widened.  
“Uh oh, ‘ _fine_?’ Yikes… how bad was it? What’d he do? What happened?” Britta asked, laughing ever so slightly. Annie pursed her lips and gave her head a small shake. “Oh, come on, tell me!” Britta pleaded, “Does he eat like an animal? Ooo or did he spill his drink all over the table? He kept pronouncing something wrong didn’t he? Ugh that’s infuriating.” Annie raised an eyebrow at Britta’s last comment. How did Britta “Baggle” Perry not see the irony in that?  
“Oh please, Annie. I won’t tell anyone. This is Vegas!” When Annie didn’t answer, staring blankly at her, Britta felt the need to explain, “y’know? Like what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?”  
“I know what you mean! I just…” Annie had a feeling she would regret telling Britta about her date. She loathed her friend's potential judgement. And yet, she felt like she needed to talk to _someone_ about it, and she knew Britta was pretty knowledgeable when it came to men. _Here goes nothing._  
“It was nice. Really nice. We went to this sweet little diner run by an adorable Italian family. Italia Americana? You know it?” Britta gave a brisk nod, eager for Annie to spill more details.  
“Anyway, it was really great. The food was amazing and Rich was so polite and- and funny. He refused when I offered to pay and drove me all the way home. But- “ Britta cut Annie off with fearful eyes and an annoyed expression.  
“Oh no, no, no. Annie, no. Just because he was nice to you and paid for dinner doesn’t mean he’s entitled to stick his d-“ this time Annie was the one to interrupt. Her eyes pinched shut and her nose wrinkled with disgust as she waved her hands and shook her head defensively.  
“God, no, Britta. I know. And nothing happened.” Britta’s face softened. “But... that’s kind of the problem. He walked me up to my door and then kissed my _forehead_.”  
Annie suddenly felt a crushing wave of regret as Britta’s lips curved upwards into a playful smile.  
“Britta! It’s not funny! It was weird and… stop it!” Britta took in a deep breath to control her urge to laugh.  
“Aww, Annie… that’s no big deal. Sounds like you guys had fun! Don’t hyper-focus on a little forehead kiss! It’s sweet.” Annie shrugged and nodded, clearly disappointed with Britta’s lack of aid. Britta picked up on her displeasure and felt a pang of guilt. She sighed and threw together some comforting words.  
“Look, it was your first date. And Rich is a nice guy. I mean, ‘nice guy’ is an understatement. And, I know you know this, but he is… y’know,” Britta paused trying to find the right words as Annie looked at her expectantly, “he’s mmm... _slightly_ older than you. He probably kissed your forehead because he’s fighting the feeling of being gross.”  
Annie frowned at Britta’s last words. “Well if he thinks I’m gross, why did he agree to go out with me in the first place?! He can’t kiss my forehead forever!” Annie cried throwing her hands up sharply.  
“Annie, I didn’t say he thinks _you’re_ gross! Just give him some time and he’ll get more comfortable. It can take a while for relationships to really get going. Especially with a guy like Rich.” Annie considered Britta’s words and smiled. She ran in for a hug, grateful for her friend's sympathy.  
“So, you think you’re gonna go out with him again?” Britta asked, still entwined in Annie’s arms. Annie nodded with growing confidence as Abed, Troy and Pierce barged into the study room.  
“Ladies, hope we’re not interrupting,” said Pierce, his eyebrows jumping up hopefully. Annie scoffed while Britta mumbled, “Gross.”

Shirley and Jeff showed up a few minutes later and soon enough, Annie was doing her best to try to keep the group willing and dedicated to their anti-drug show. This was not an easy task.  
After a failed rehearsal and a discussion with Pierce at her apartment, Annie flopped onto her bed. She held the check above her face and stared at it as if she was waiting for it to tell her what to do. Would she really let Pierce risk the integrity of the play so he can get his few minutes of fame? She sighed hopelessly. Her phone buzzed beside her and she rolled on to her stomach to see what it was.  
Rich: _Hey superstar director! How’re things going?_  
She smiled and began typing a response.  
Annie: _Well they’re not the easiest group to work with :P_  
Rich: _Didn’t think they would be. But you can handle it! You always know what to do._  
Annie felt her stress fall off her shoulders from Rich’s simple reassurance.  
Annie: _Thanks Rich_  
She paused, cheekily biting her lip as she typed another message.  
Annie: _Hey you doing anything? Wanna meet up?_  
She waited anxiously for a response, staring at her phone impatiently. A whole minute had passed and Annie’s heart started sinking to the bottom of her chest. _Maybe Britta was wrong. Maybe he just doesn’t like me,_ she thought. Then her phone buzzed.  
Rich: _Pick you up in 10?_  
Letting out a breath of relief she didn't know she was holding, she agreed and smiled gleefully to herself.

The play was a disaster. Shirley was preoccupied with Chang’s relentlessness, Pierce had the kids chanting for drugs and Jeff was clinging to Britta’s cellphone for whatever reason. Annie sat on the couch with Britta beside her, rubbing her back in consolation. Shaking her head at Pierce’s continued destructiveness, she shot up from the couch.  
“Pierce,” she snapped, “enough! After intermission we’re going back to the original script and doing some damage control.”  
“Damage?” Pierce asked taking clear offence, “The only damage is me blowing the roof off the universe!”  
“I’m not letting you go back on that stage," she declared, crossing her arms over her chest.  
“Well, maybe I won’t be visiting you late at night anymore with a _generous_ spirit.”  
Shirley and Abed shared a puzzled glance. Britta stared at Annie, her face a mix of disgust and disbelief. Troy squinted, taking in Pierce’s words.  
“What happened to Rich?” he asked, looking expectantly at Pierce and Annie. Annie gasped at Pierce’s offhanded and ill-phrased threat.  
“You sick, sick, SAD old man!” she berated, “This is why I didn’t wanna take money from my parents! I don’t want anybody pulling my strings!”  
“Wait, wait. Is he giving you money?!” Britta piped up from her spot on the couch, standing to approach Annie to look at her face-to-face. Annie opened her mouth, guilt clouding her mind, ready to try to defend herself when Pierce chimed in.  
“Not anymore!”  
“That’s why the script got changed; Pierce bought his way in,” Abed concluded, rising from his seat with Shirley. He pointed a blame-fueled finger in Annie’s direction, “Annie sold out her message.”  
“You’ve been indulging this maniac?” Jeff spat. Troy threw his arms up in frustration, not quite on the same page as the rest of the group.  
“Am I the _only_ one concerned that Annie is cheating on Rich with an even _older_ man?!”  
“Oh please, I’m too good for her,” Pierce whispered to Troy.  
The group ignored Troy’s brainlessness and Pierce’s unjustifiably large ego, instead waiting for an explanation from Annie.  
“Yes! I’ve been indulging this maniac,” shaking her head, she looked at Pierce with great disappointment and said, “you’re fired.”  
“Fired? Next time I’m at Dildopolis, I will not be coming upstairs to say hi.” With that, he tossed his outfit to the side and stormed out. Troy was shaking his head, his face wrinkled with unease, trying to rid himself of the image of Annie being with Pierce late at night. Jeff walked in closer to the group.  
“The only reason we did this was for you and your _stupid_ ideals, and it turns out you don’t even have any.”  
Annie flinched at Jeff’s harsh words.  
“We supported you, An-nie.” Shirley said with great hurt. Britta nodded.  
“Yeah, Annie. You’re fired.”  
Annie searched her friends faces hoping to find at least a little glimmer of support and understanding. When all she saw was animosity and disappointment, she fled the room, shouting “I’m sorry!” as she left, holding back tears.

Rich passed by the group’s study room as he made his way through the library. He did a double take when he saw Annie with her head down on the table, her shoulders shuddering slightly. He knocked quietly on the door. Annie’s head shot up and she saw Rich standing at the door, his face ridden with concern.  
“Annie?”  
“Oh, Rich,” she said wiping the tears from her face, “sorry, I was just… the play isn’t going well. I let Pierce have too much power and now…” she paused and the faint cheering of the kids chanting for drugs could be heard. She burst into another fit of sobs as Rich crouched down beside her, giving her a big hug.  
“Oh, come on now,” he consoled, “Nothing is beyond repair! It may not be perfect right now, but what they need is for you to show up and fix what’s been broken.” She shook her head, scoffing.  
“No, Rich. I’m the one that… ‘broke’ it! I’m a total sell-out! I let Pierce ruin the really important message of the play because he helped me with my rent,” she admitted. He tipped her chin up with his finger, forcing her to meet his eyes.  
“You’re having financial issues? Hey, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I can help you start looking for a job, we can open up a savings account, there are things we can do!”  
She smiled at him gratefully as he drew her in for another hug. When she opened her eyes, pulling back from the embrace, she saw the rest of the study group standing at the door.  
Britta gave her a tight smile.  
“Annie, come back. We think we’ve got something to turn this show back around,” she said, flicking her head towards Chang. Troy shook his head sympathetically at Rich, mouthing the words “I’m sorry, man.” Rich nodded and waved at the group, ignoring Troy’s meaningless apology.

Annie stood at the back of the cafeteria with Rich and Dean Pelton beside her. Rich had his arm wrapped around her back, clutching her waist. She watched contently as Chang gave the kids no option but to hate drugs. She slipped backstage after all the chaos of the show had ended and walked in on the group celebrating and congratulating Chang. It was an unusual sight, but one that made Annie’s heart ache with love for her friends.  
“Guys?” The group turned their attention to her. “I’m so sorry, Thank you so much. That was amazing. Even I learned something.”  
They drew her in for an awkward group hug with half of them bending over the couch, while the others tried to join while sitting. As they broke apart, Annie turned to see Pierce trying to sneak out the back. She slowly walked over to him, reconciliation on her mind, but he turned to her and put up a halting hand.  
“Annie, before you say anything, I just want you to know, even though I did nothing wrong, I’m still gonna give you money.”  
“No,” she refused strongly, “I can’t take your money, Pierce. I can’t go from depending on my parents to depending on you. Which is why I’m gonna get a job.” She thought back to Rich’s kind offers to help and she couldn’t help but smile.  
“So, you’re cutting me off?”  
“No, Pierce… I know you don’t depend on anyone, but you do depend on people depending on you. So, I’m not gonna take your money.”  
“We’re still friends?” Pierce confirmed.  
“Give me a day,” Annie said with an uncomfortable grin.

The group rejoiced some more, laughing at their train-wreck turned success of a play. After a while, they all went their separate ways. In the parking lot, she spotted Rich getting in his car. She jogged over to him, tapping him on the shoulder. He turned and flashed her a wide smile.  
“Thank you for comforting me back there. I’m sure it wasn’t a great look,” Annie murmured, fidgeting nervously. Rich shook his head and swiped his hand at the air.  
“Oh nonsense. We all have those moments.” She hummed in agreement as they embraced once again. When they pulled apart, Rich’s hands lingered on her waist, preventing her from pulling back too much. She looked up at him and her eyes widened as his smile morphed into puckered lips. He started to lean in but Annie stepped back, gently pushing against his chest as she refused to take another clumsy kiss to the forehead.  
“I’ll uh, I’ll text you tonight, okay?” she proposed, backing away. Rich looked a bit stunned from her rejection but he nodded graciously and got in his car to head home.


	4. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random intro but what do you guys think of Netflix removing this episode? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts! Anyway, this chapter takes place after the game played in the episode! No warnings again! <3

After an epic win, the group left the study room, satisfied with their work in helping Fat N- ahem in helping Neil.  
“I dunno, it was kinda fun, right?” Annie asked, smiling.  
“Mm well I believe this witchcraft... goblin nonsense is for sinners, but... sure, it was still nice!” Shirley chimed in, her tone going from severe to sweet. Jeff and Britta jogged up from behind.  
“You guys,” Britta started excitedly, “Neil just suggested to Pierce that we all play again sometime next week! He said he’d be around.” Annie and Shirley both squealed happily at the successful suicide-prevention mission. Even Abed expressed mild joy with a small, toothy smirk.  
“Yeeahhh, I dunno if I wanna play again, though,” said Troy, “it was kind of uh weird.”  
“It’s just a game, Troy,” Britta rebuked, “The main thing is, Neil is safe. And that, is thanks to us.”  
They all smiled, proud of themselves as they went their separate ways. Annie slowed and gave Jeff a gentle tug on the arm, catching him before he walked out.  
“Hey, Jeff,” she started softly.  
“Annie.”  
“I just wanted to thank you. Y’know for being so compassionate with Neil. Though you _may_ have started the whole issue in the first place,” Jeff winced regretfully at the hard truth in her words, “You showed great dedication back there, making sure he felt… wanted.”  
“Yeah well, my mess, my job to clean it up,” Jeff shrugged coldly. Annie pursed her lips in a small smirk and nodded slowly.  
“Well, that’s all… just… thanks,” she said, turning to walk away. Jeff watched her go, fighting the urge to open his mouth again.  
“Annie,” he said, screwing up his face with instant regret. She spun to face him.  
“Yeah?”  
“I uh… do you,” he paused, “You need a ride home?” He caught a minute glimpse of what looked like disappointment. He wondered what words would have slipped out had he been more confident.  
“Oh, well I took my car here so-"  
“Right, duh-doy. I was just making sure," he laughed. She smiled, almost pitifully. The look on her face felt like a steak through his heart.  
“Goodnight, Jeff.”  
She started walking down the hall again, leaving Jeff alone to watch as she strode away. He huffed air out through his nose as she turned the corner, bowing his eyes to his feet.  
“You should talk to her,” Abed’s voice sounded from behind him.  
“God, Abed! You ever consider you might be a little unnerving when you sneak up on people like that?”  
“Jeff, I don’t have time for deflection. Why don’t you talk to Annie?” he persisted.  
“Because it’s not that simple.”  
“But it is. You like Annie, and she likes you. I don’t see the problem.”  
“We like each other as _friends_ , Abed. Besides, she’s happy with Rich.” Jeff explained curtly.  
“You’d think that, but the girl will realize it’s her friend she’s wanted all along. You two have an irreplaceable bond. She’ll come to treasure that soon enough.”  
Jeff smiled with clear annoyance, squinting harshly at Abed.  
“Thanks, Abed. But, this isn’t a movie or a Taylor Swift song. This is real life. Join us, why don’t you?” he retorted. He smiled once again, still no friendlier than before, as he turned away and left Abed as Annie had left him. Abed paused for a moment, taking in Jeff’s words.  
“You listen to Taylor Swift?” Abed shouted after him, curiously, as that would be out of Jeff’s character. Abed considered this. Maybe that was Jeff’s heavily repressed, yet ever present, soft side peeking through. Jeff waved him off as he left the school.

Annie heard a knock on her apartment door and bounced over eagerly. Checking through the peep hole to make sure it was Rich, she gleefully opened the door. Rich walked in with flowers in his hand, taking Annie in for a big hug.  
“Aww, Rich! You got these for me?” she asked, taking the flowers Rich held out to her.  
“Yeah, the pretty flowers reminded me of a certain pretty girl,” he said, reaching out to pinch her cheek. His advance was not well received, however, as Annie felt as though she was being treated as a child, rather than a woman. She tried to hide her discomfort, though her smile visibly turned sour as his hand dropped from her face. Rich chuckled awkwardly as Annie turned away to grab the vase she made in pottery class.  
“Remember this?”  
“Oh, yeah! That class was fun. Though I didn’t get the best feeling from your friend, Jeff,” he responded honestly with a chuckle.  
“He can be a little… inhospitable, sometimes. Don’t worry about it. He was only jealous of you because you were so good at it. He doesn’t like competing with perfection,” Annie teased. Rich smirked and nodded, accepting Annie’s explanation.

The two sat together on her white couch. They talked for hours. Annie shared stories from her group’s _Dungeons and Dragons_ game while Rich listened politely, amused- and perhaps somewhat peeved- by how Annie talked so highly of her friends. As they talked, Rich had been inching closer little by little. Annie reciprocated his advances by scooting towards him too a few times. By the end of their chat, their knees would graze every so often, which made them both blush. Rich glanced lazily at his watch.  
“Ah, would you look at that!” he exclaimed, “It’s almost midnight.” He turned his wrist so Annie could see the time as well.  
“I should probably get going,” Rich said. Annie nodded and rose to walk him over to the door.  
“Thanks for coming over. It was nice to spend some time with you, again.”  
“Oh, for sure. Next time, you can come visit me. I can give you the grand tour of my cozy, little apartment,” he suggested playfully. This set off a bunch of butterflies in Annie’s stomach. She pictured his place to be just as perfect and welcoming as he is. She smiled and nodded as Rich slipped on his coat.  
“Well, thanks for having me. You’ve got a sweet place,” he said, drawing her in for a hug. Her head lingered on his chest, nuzzling it ever so slightly. Rich gently stroked her hair. As they slowly pulled apart, Rich dipped his head to be level with hers and kissed her softly on her lips. She was slightly taken by surprise, but she closed her eyes and kissed him back; timidly sucking on his upper lip as his tongue swiped over her lower lip. Annie’s stomach was doing back flips at this point. Her hands traveled gingerly up his chest then settled on the collar of his sweater, pulling him in closer. Rich’s hands squeezed her hips lightly before pulling back. Annie stood tall and leaned in, reluctant to end the kiss. As he gazed down at her, she dropped down from her tippy toes and looked up at him breathlessly from under her eyelashes. His hands fell away from her hips as she stepped back. Rich opened the door and wished Annie a goodnight. After her door shut, she stood in complete awe for a moment. Her hand rose up to her mouth. She placed a shaky finger on her lower lip, brushing it lightly. An elated smile grew on her face as she hopped over to her bed. She spun around and fell onto her mattress squealing in delight.


	5. Intimacy 101

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one takes place after Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and before Early 21st Century Romanticism. Not really a _trigger_ warning but, this chapter does get fairly smutty.

Annie stood at Rich’s apartment door. She shifted her weight, giving her head a little shake before holding it up high. Taking in a deep breath, she knocked on the door and then stepped back, waiting for Rich to let her in. Within a few seconds, the door swung open and Rich flashed her a toothy grin as she stepped into his apartment.   
“Wow,” Annie said as she took in the glory that was Rich’s apartment. It was sleek and clean yet still approachable and homey. She noticed how grown-up it was. It was devoid of any specific personality... just very mature. Thinking back to her own apartment, she felt embarrassed that Rich had seen her butterfly paintings and girly throw pillows when he was living like this. She started to remove her coat and Rich helped her, hanging it up on his coat rack. She walked around slowly in the living room. Full bookshelves, leather couches and a sizable, yet still modest, TV. There were little trinkets here and there but nothing too bizarre or cutesy. Rich placed a welcoming hand on her shoulder and as he spoke, it slipped down her back and around her waist.   
“You like it?” he asked. Annie turned to face him, forcing him to draw his hand back.  
“Yeah it’s so you!” she gushed.

After a few hours of chatting on his couch. Rich hopped up to start making dinner.   
“Just spaghetti, that alright with you?” he confirmed. Annie nodded and stood up to help him in the kitchen.  
“Oh no ya don’t!” Rich warned joyfully, “I told you, _I’d_ be making _you_ dinner. You just take a seat.”  
“Aww come on, let me help just a little. I could set the table?” she asked, batting her eyelashes. Rich pursed his lips and gave his head a shake before giving in.  
“Fine, fine. Come on, I’ll show you around the kitchen.”

The two sat for dinner and Rich lit a candle and dimmed the lights.  
“Wow, this is just like a fancy restaurant,” Annie commented. Rich bowed his head, blushing.  
“Aww, no. I just wanted to make it nice for you.” Annie’s smile faded as she realized how sincere and kind Rich was. Her heart skipped a beat as she begged silently for him to say something else. He coughed, clearly uncomfortable with the romantic tension as well.   
“So, uh, how are your classes going?” he asked.  
“Oh yeah, really good. Great,” she replied in a voice two octaves too high while anxiously stabbing at her salad. In an attempt to calm down, she took in a shaky breath and tried to answer his question genuinely. “I mean seriously, things have been going great for me. I’d like to think my study group has played some part in my academic success, y’know, since we’re a _study_ group. But, I feel like we’re all more friends than classmates,” she shrugged. Rich nodded thoughtfully.  
“Well they’re lucky to have you. You’re brilliant, really.”  
Annie shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with the non-stop praise from Rich.  
“Thanks,” she whispered through a soft smile.

After dinner, Annie refused to let Rich do the dishes.  
“You did all the cooking, it’s only fair that I handle clean-up,” she insisted. Rich reluctantly let her load the dishwasher and scrub down the pots. As she went to put the packaged leftovers in his fridge, a big hand from behind reached out to open the fridge door before she could. She slid the container in an empty spot and turned to meet Rich as he slammed the fridge door shut behind her. She felt her heart sink as he leaned in for a kiss, pushing her back against the fridge. Annie gasped as Rich’s lips came crashing onto hers. Her hands made their way up to his neck as she tried to pull him in even closer. He had her pinned to the fridge door with his hips. She let out another gasp when she felt the bulge in his pants twitch against her hip. He took advantage of her momentarily open mouth to slip his tongue in. She felt heat pool between her legs as her breathing grew fast and shallow. Rich hummed out a growl of pleasure when Annie sucked gently on his lower lip. He pulled his head back and looked down at Annie like a starving man. Her eyes were soft and her face was flushed.  
“I never showed you my bedroom. Shall we go now?”   
Annie nodded breathlessly and Rich leaned in for another kiss. His hands slipped from her waist down to the curve of her ass. He pulled her up, prompting her to jump and wrap her legs around his torso. Hugging his neck, as he carried her to his bedroom, their eyes locked and they both turned bright red. He kicked the door open with great impatience. Annie wasn’t focused on looking around to evaluate the room this time. Rich tipped forward, dropping Annie on his bed. She inched up to allow him to climb on the mattress. She let her head fall back against his pillow. He kissed her tenderly on the lips once more before trailing kisses down the side of her neck. She tilted her head back with pleasure, to give him better access. He started sucking right on her collar bone as he lowered his hips to grind against Annie’s heat. His teeth grazed the base of her neck. She wrapped her arms around his back as she stared at the ceiling. A slight uncertainty started creeping in as Rich’s hand slipped under her back and began pulling at the zipper of her dress. She slipped her arms out and Rich slid the dress down to her hips. She wormed her legs out of it while Rich tore his sweater off over his head. She stared in awe at his semi-sculpted chest as she suddenly realized how massive he was compared to her. He leaned in to kiss her again, roughly cupping one of her breasts with one hand, while the other teased the hem of her panties. His hand traveled lower and brushed against a wet patch that made Annie flinch.  
“Fuck, Annie,” he groaned in a low, gravelly voice. Annie realized she had never heard Rich swear before now. Rich, who smiled at everyone all the time. Rich, who praised her in every aspect of her being. Rich, who… was unbuttoning and pulling off his jeans, had just cursed and it made Annie tense up. Rich’s mouth fell back onto Annie’s. Suddenly, his tongue in her mouth was no longer loving and passionate, but suffocating. Rich’s hand slipped into Annie’s underwear and began circling her clit. The sensation was meant to pleasure her, but Annie just squirmed in distress beneath him. He began stroking it relentlessly, applying more pressure to her swollen bud. She felt her skin get prickly and hot as she let out a whimper of desire. She struggled to take in a breath with Rich still furiously exploring her mouth. His thumb continued massaging her clit as he went to slip one of his fingers into her wet heat. She felt her muscles get stiff. Her mind went fuzzy with unease, conflicted with her arousal and her panic. She stopped kissing him, pulling one of her hands off his neck to push against his chest.  
“Rich can we-“ she panted before he was tugging on her lip again, pushing his finger in deeper. She whipped her head to the side, urgently breaking the kiss as she writhed underneath him.  
“No, _no_ , Rich. Can we please stop?” she asked firmly. Rich stared at her, his mouth hung open in disbelief. But, he pulled his hand out from her underwear and then flopped down beside her, panting from the kissing. Though she was still in her bra and underwear, she scooted up to a seated position and covered herself by hugging one of Rich’s pillows. He was breathing hard beside her as he rolled to his back and brought his hand to his face as he tried to process everything. She glanced at the frustrated and confused expression on his face and felt a pit form in her stomach. She shook her head, disappointed in herself for ruining the night.  
“I’m sorry, I just,” her voice got caught in the back of her throat as tears welled up in her eyes. Rich glanced at her, waiting for her to finish when he noticed her biting her lip with wet eyes, her eyebrows knotted together.   
“Oh, Annie, don’t,” he said comfortingly, “Look we want to do this when the moment’s right. And if that’s not tonight, then it’s not tonight.” She sniffled a bit then looked at him, taking in his sympathetic gaze. Her eyes wandered mindlessly down to his boxers. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped as she saw his erection threatening the tensile strength of his underwear. She pulled her eyes away in embarrassment. Rich’s eyes dropped down and he immediately grabbed a pillow to cover himself. Annie laughed at Rich’s awkwardness.  
“Oh, Rich I’m _really_ sorry,” she teased halfheartedly.  
“It’s fine,” he mumbled. A silent pause settled between the two.  
“So, uh, can I know what happened? You don’t owe me any explanation whatsoever, but I’m just wondering if it was something I did?” Annie bowed her head and refused to meet Rich’s eyes, though she felt them glued to her, waiting for some sort of response. After another moment of silence, Rich’s head jumped up as he had a realization.  
“Oh, Annie. Are you a virgin?” he asked. She snapped her head towards him. Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head wildly.  
“It’s okay, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I didn’t lose my virginity until I w-“  
“I’m not a virgin!” she protested, “I did _it_ once before with my boyfriend in high school but it…” Annie trailed off not wanting to share the story. “It wasn’t ideal.” Rich nodded, not interested in pressing her for more details.   
“Well, whenever you know you’re ready. We can take things slow,” he promised kindly.

They ended up staying in bed together for a while just talking and cuddling, but Annie couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt. She knew Rich was trying to be patient with her but deep down she wondered if Rich was angry she’d asked to stop. As it got later, they both started to doze off. But, Annie knew she had to leave. She had classes the next day and needed to get home so she’d be prepared. After refusing Rich’s many offers to stay the night, she put her dress back on, and left his apartment. On the drive back to her house, she replayed the events of the evening over and over. She analyzed every moment trying to figure out exactly what made the alarm go off inside her head. She never did draw a final conclusion on that.


	6. Early 21st Century Romanticism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place during and after the episode. Also, get ready for some slight Britta/Annie teases (it won’t be going anywhere in this fic but it was just something I wanted to explore). No real warnings for this one, besides some aggressive cat-calling. Still nothing too intense!

“Jeff, what do you do when you and your best friend wanna ask the same girl to the Valentine’s dance but neither of you have dibs because you both fell in love with her at first sight?” Troy asked as Jeff slumped down in his chair.  
“Well, I don’t believe in dibs, or love at first sight, or love,” Abed cocked an eyebrow, “or best friends, or doing things… but it’s good you brought this to me,” Jeff sneered.  
“You’re gonna have to open your heart one day, Jeff,” Abed advised, giving his friend a knowing stare.  
“What happens if I don’t? I miss the heart-opening deadline?” he challenged as Pierce and Shirley walked in.  
“Valentine’s, Crapentine’s,” Pierce grumbled sourly. Jeff’s smirk dropped as he realized his future.  
“Opening my heart is on my list,” Jeff decided begrudgingly. Abed smiled briefly at Jeff, subtly congratulating him for taking his first steps in accepting his real emotions.

But, Abed’s hope for Jeff faded swiftly as Jeff showed no intention of wanting to help Pierce. Abed noted that Annie was clearly displeased by Jeff’s lack of empathy… and his lack of love for BNL. Plus, Jeff’s rage induced exit didn’t help matters much either. But Abed was determined to not give up hope on his two friends. Abed knew chemistry when he saw it, and theirs was too real to just ignore and give up on.  
The group sat in an awkward silence for a while, digesting Pierce’s concerning behaviour and Jeff’s outburst.  
“So,” Annie started uncomfortably, ready to move on, “what are you guys gonna get up to before the dance?”  
Troy nodded towards the door, prompting his friends to turn their attention to Mariah.  
“Abed and I have some wooing to do,” he glanced briefly at Abed. They tapped each other with their signature handshake before rising abruptly and walking out the back door.  
“They’re both gonna ask out the same girl?” Annie questioned. Britta shrugged.  
“Who cares, I wanna hear what _you’ve_ got planned,” Britta said, leaning in to rest her head in her hands. Shirley giggled gleefully and beamed expectantly at Annie.  
“What? Oh, with Rich?” she asked blushing. The two ladies gave eager nods, fully invested in the couple’s romantic life. Annie started playing with her fingers, nervously looking down.  
“He said he’s gonna pick me up after the dance. The rest is a surprise,” she said. The girls squealed excitedly.  
“Y’know, usually I’m opposed to this cheesy, ‘traditional’ romance stuff. And don’t get me started on how problematic Valentine’s Day is. It basically-“  
Britta cut herself off when she noticed Shirley glaring at her and Annie waiting for her to continue with a worried look, wondering if she had just accidentally offended all woman-kind by agreeing to a surprise Valentine’s date with her boyfriend.  
“doesn’t matter… but, I’m really happy for you and Rich,” Britta concluded, earning a grin of approval from Shirley.  
“Andre and I will also be meeting up after the dance. The kids will be with a babysitter so we’ll be able to spend some time alone together,” Shirley added. Annie and Shirley did a cheeky little dance complete with snaps and "go girls."  
“And _I’ll_ be fighting the hetero-normative expectations of Valentine’s day by spending it with my lesbian friend that doesn’t need, want, or get pleasure from men,” Britta boasted.  
“But… Valentine’s day isn’t exclusive to straight couples. It’s for everyone to celebrate love… right?” Annie asked tentatively. Britta’s cocky grin dropped as she offered nothing more than a begrudging shrug.

Things were not looking up for the Greendale study group. Abed struck out on the odd “date” with Mariah and Troy. Though he wasn’t bothered, he could tell Troy was having trouble accepting that people viewed him as better boyfriend material than his best friend. Troy’s love for Mariah turned bitter quickly when she referred to Abed as “weird.” Though the two friends had each other, there was an unmistakable feeling of loss between them after giving up their biggest crush yet. Shirley seemed bored at the dance, longing for it to end so she could see Andre. Pierce was clearly on the verge of overdosing, and despite Annie’s best efforts to help him, he refused aid and turned to the pill bottle instead. Jeff was battling the guilt from yelling at his friends while desperately trying to keep the insane party under control. Annie stood behind Britta and listened as Page snapped harshly at her friend.  
“You’re the worst,” Page jabbed. Britta rose from her seat instantly, trying to disguise her hurt under anger.  
“What?!”  
“And for the record, I never thought you were cool,” Page said, clearly intending to insult, “I _only_ thought you were a lesbian.”  
Britta’s expression softened as the hurt finally grew enough to break through her anger. As Page stomped off, Britta’s heart sunk. She turned her head to see Annie taking small, cautious steps towards her with a gentle, comforting grin of sympathy. She turned sullenly to meet Annie’s eyes.  
“Page is straight,” Britta admitted with a sigh. Annie was shocked at how bad she felt for Britta. They were never the closest of friends; their differences making it hard to relate to one another. Yet, Annie wanted nothing more than to take the hurt away from Britta. Her heart ached for her.  
“Really?” Annie asked, forcing a surprised inflection. Britta nodded, her lips tight with disappointment.  
“Well, when she was gay, I thought it was really cool of you to make out with her,” Annie offered truthfully, hoping her confusing slight envy of Page wasn’t obvious.  
“Thanks, Annie,” Britta murmured, pulling her in for a hug. Annie braced herself as Britta’s head rested sweetly on her shoulder. She tilted her head to lean against Britta’s shoulder, their arms holding one another tightly. Annie felt herself start to blush as Britta’s hands slowly drifted down her back.  
“Come on, kiss her!” a man shouted from across the room. Britta scoffed at the crude suggestion, pushing back from the embrace. Annie’s arm stayed wrapped around her friend’s waist, reluctant to let go of the wholesome feeling of Britta’s affection. Britta’s gaze turned back to Annie, frowning in confusion as she noticed a hopeful look in Annie’s eyes. Annie’s mouth opened hesitantly.  
“I’m with Rich, so,” she excused, politely. Britta nodded, slightly unsettled by Annie’s lasting proximity. She even felt a mild resistance as she tried to back away from her friend. Britta’s expression grew bewildered. Annie noticed Britta’s discomfort and pulled herself back immediately.  
“Besides I’m not attracted to you,” Annie laughed awkwardly. Britta just continued staring as her friend’s face flushed more and more red.  
“Not that you aren’t pretty! I mean you’re- you’re really pretty, but I don’t… You’re great, Britta! Page is a _total_ b-word. You’re not the worst. You’re amazing and you make me feel safe an- and valued? I don’t- I just… I like you. I like you a lot… but y’know as a friend! Because I don’t like-“ Annie rambled, nervously laughing. She calmed down a bit before looking down at her feet, playing with her hands.  
“I don’t like you _that_ way… so.”  
Britta nodded, trying to hide a smirk. Annie’s fumbling, flustered nature had almost completely distracted Britta from the night’s misfortune.  
“I get it,” Britta reassured with a playful wink that made Annie blush even more, “Thank you, Annie.”

“Well, I hope you found tonight therapeutic. Because, I would love to pretend that that was my plan,” Ian Duncan said, lazily cleaning up while finishing a drink.  
“I actually started to have fun, until that maniac tried to move in… What is it about me that makes broken people flock to me? Is it my height? Do huddled masses mistake me for the Statue of Liberty?” Jeff questioned sarcastically.  
“I don’t know, but being as how you are halfway through your second year at Greendale, you may want to either stop resisting, or admit that you’re actually starting to enjoy it,” Duncan said. His analysis was surprisingly accurate, especially for a drunk man. Abed’s threats from the morning came echoing back into Jeff’s mind.  
“Well, you assume I enjoy it, because… you think you’d enjoy it,” Jeff reasoned, deflecting the truth.  
“It’s true, I am very lonely,” Duncan admitted shamelessly. Jeff pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against, walking over to the coffee table to grab his phone.  
“You want a uh… nice little taste of what you’re missing in a relationship with six nutcases?”  
“Yeaahh,” Duncan slurred. Jeff reached for his phone.  
“Let’s turn on my phone and listen to the 39 messages they left tonight,” clicking on his voicemail, he held his phone up smugly to Duncan. His face twisted with confusion as his voicemail came up empty.  
“Hmm. That’s… huh,” he checked his texts and even emails, looking for something from his study group.  
“Since you got it turned on, why don’t you call me a cab _and then pay for it?_ ” Duncan added, ignorant to Jeff’s dismay.  
“They must be in some kind of trouble,” Jeff convinced himself, weakly.  
“Ahh… what a relief that would be. Tell you what, if you need me, I’m gonna be waiting for my cab down here. I’ll have a special nap,” Duncan rambled as he settled on the couch, using the trash bag of empty bottles as a pillow. Jeff winced at his friend’s behavior before turning to step out into the hall with some more garbage. Tossing it down the chute, he turned back to continue cleaning his apartment, but was stopped at the sound of Ben Chang groaning from below. With a tight-lipped sigh, he made his descent to the dumpsters outside of the building.  
“Get up,” Jeff grumbled softly. Chang’s head rose slowly from the dumpster, peering cautiously over the edge at Jeff.  
“Come on, you’re not staying out here.”  
“I’ve got no place else to go, man! I belong here with the junk,” Chang whined pitifully.  
“Ben, get out of the dumpster. You can stay with me.” A silent pause fell between them.  
“You mean that?” Chang asked hopefully.  
“I’m not gonna offer again. Let’s go.” Chang jumped out of the dumpster, tripping on the edge and stumbling to the ground. Jeff steadied him.  
“You won’t regret this, Winger. I’ll pitch in. I’ll do the dishes and keep the place clean. Hey, I can make a delicious ramen dish. You’ll see, I promise I’ll Chang for the better,” he gushed. Jeff frowned at Chang’s words, already dreading the living situation. Though he felt an undeniable warmth in his heart, seeing Chang have so much admiration for him.  
“Don’t push it,” Jeff warned.

The group all huddled on the couch, quietly mourning the evening’s hardships. Their phones went off simultaneously. They all checked and smiled upon reading the mass text from Jeff. Abed was especially pleased at Jeff’s character growth. Annie’s phone went off again. She beamed, reading the message once more before checking the new message.  
Rich: _Hey, sweetie! I’m outside, ready to go?_  
Her heart sank as she realized she completely forgot about her date with Rich.  
“Oh,” she exclaimed, rising from her seat, “hey, so, I gotta go. Rich is here.”  
The group nodded, their attention clearly elsewhere. Annie turned to go before twirling back to share one last thought.  
“Hey, someone should probably try to find Pierce. Last time I checked he wasn’t in his right mind,” she suggested. The group offered nothing more than a second bout of tired nods. Annie pursed her lips, somewhat disturbed by her friends’ drained energies.

Rich stepped out of the car upon seeing Annie jog down towards his car, excitedly. He was wearing a deep blue button-down shirt. His shirt was tucked in to black dress pants with a matching sports coat. He looked cleanly put together. Annie flashed him a big toothy grin, feeling loved knowing that he had gotten all dressed up to impress her. He walked around the car, hugging Annie fondly. They broke apart and Rich opened the passenger seat door for Annie to slide in. Rich was in the driver’s seat moments later, turning his keys in the ignition.  
“How was work?” Annie asked.  
“Not too bad. I only had a few consults, and they all went well. The time passed so quickly, too. I couldn’t stop thinking about tonight… seeing you.” Annie blushed.  
“Aww, Rich.”  
“You look great, by the way! I love your little heart necklace,” Rich commented politely.  
“Thanks! You don’t look _that_ bad, I guess,” she teased, with a cheeky smile. Rich smirked, shaking his head.  
“What about you? How was your day?” He asked. Annie considered her next words carefully. Her day was a roller coaster. Jeff’s annoyance with the group at the beginning of the day really stung. Though he made up for it with his heartfelt message, the morning’s fight stuck with her. Her concern for Pierce, and her unforeseen affectionate feelings towards Britta were also clouding her mind. She nearly started feeling bad for Rich. He had been thinking of her all day and even now, when she was with him, she couldn’t give him her full focus. She started to recount her day’s events to him.  
“It was nice! Kind of strange, but that’s almost expected now,” she giggled, “Troy and Abed asked the same girl to the dance. They made her choose whom she’d prefer to date. Can you imagine? That’d be so hard! I mean, Troy and Abed are so close, you can’t get between them… I kinda felt bad for Mariah. No matter who she chose, it wouldn’t have worked.”  
“Those boys put her in a difficult position,” Rich noted, disapproval leaking through his words.  
“Yeah, I know they didn’t mean to hurt her in any way. But their execution wasn’t ideal, I guess,” Annie said, trying to fix her friends’ reputations. Rich grunted in response.  
“Shirley’s going out with Andre, tonight. You remember Andre, right?”  
Rich nodded, recalling the drama the study group inflicted between Shirley, Andre and Ben Chang.  
“Glad they’re still together after… all that,” he laughed.  
“Sure, it’s sweet. I do feel bad for Shirley, though. I mean he treated her horribly, cheating on her? But if she’s happy to be with him again, I’ll support her in that.”  
“How about Jeff?” Rich asked, noticeably more interested.  
“Jeff?”  
“Yeah, where was he during all of this?”  
“Oh, well, we sorta had a bit of a fight this morning,” Annie admitted.  
“You and him? What was it about?”  
“No, no, it was with the whole study group, not just me,” though Annie paused and wondered if she took particular offence to Jeff’s behaviour, “We were just trying to look out for Pierce. We think he might be addicted to his pain meds. Jeff just… didn’t seem to care much.”  
“Hey, well if you want, I could try talking to Pierce. Refer me to his doctor and I can explain what’s going on. These things happen, but I can definitely help!”  
Annie’s heart fluttered, hearing Rich’s support. She loved how much he cared.  
“Why would Jeff not wanna help Pierce? Sounds like an awful friend.”  
Annie’s heart stopped fluttering. Listening to Rich criticize her friends felt odd. She had a strong urge to defend them, even if whatever Rich was saying had some truth to it.  
“Jeff’s never been fond of Pierce. None of us really are to be honest. He’s not exactly the most considerate person. He’s full of himself and makes hurtful comments all the time. I dunno… can’t help but feel for him though. He can be sweet at times. And he tries so hard to impress us. He wants to be liked so bad, it almost makes him likeable in a twisted way,” she explains. Her face warped nervously as she started worrying about Pierce’s state. She hoped one of her friends did go looking for him.  
“Well, however troublesome it may be… I suppose you’re good people letting an uncouth, old man into your study group.”  
Annie smiled, finally earning her friends some approval from Rich.

They drove for a good 20 minutes, quietly discussing upcoming events in their lives in the next few weeks, before they arrived at the restaurant. It was a classy French bistro. There was a small ensemble playing soft jazz on a stage in the corner. Rich had ordered a pricey bottle of red wine for the two to share but Annie uncomfortably had to decline, not being of legal drinking age. Rich apologized profusely, only adding to Annie’s embarrassment as she had to reassure him that she was fine with water. Rich copied her drink of choice, leaving the bottle to sit, untouched, in the middle of the table like a bittersweet centerpiece. Despite the minor awkwardness, the dinner went well. They spent the whole time laughing and talking about anything and everything. On the drive back to Annie’s apartment, they still managed to find things to talk about. And when the conversation died, their silence was comfortable and even affectionate. Rich pulled up on the sidewalk and followed Annie upstairs, a gift bag in his hand. Once inside, she instructed him to take a seat on her couch as she ran to grab his gift from under her bed. She hurried back to sit beside him, an excited smile plastered on her face.  
“Here, you first,” Annie gushed, holding out a small, red bag with white tissue paper spilling over the top. Rich dropped his bag to the ground to take Annie’s gift. He sat it on his lap and reached in the bag, pulling out the card first. He ripped open the pink envelope and took the card out.  
“Are you a coronary artery?” he read, “because you’re wrapped around my heart!” Rich laughed appreciating the medical humor. Annie smiled, glad he found the joke funny. He opened the card and started reading her message, scrawled in pen.  
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Rich. I don’t have a lot of dating experience, obviously. But, you stick with me through my ineptitude and that’s why I love you. Thank you for being the most kind, patient and supportive man I know. I’m lucky to have you,” he paused, sad eyes reading the message over again.  
“Aww Annie.” He drew her in for a hug, awkwardly crushing the gift bag between them. She broke the embrace, gesturing at the gift.  
“Go on, open it!”  
Rich pushed aside the tissue paper and pulled out a small beige bear. It had a white ribbon with little hearts dotted on it wrapped around its neck. He beamed at the teddy, brushing a loving finger over its soft head.  
“Adorable, just like you,” he sighed, reaching his hand out to softly brush Annie’s cheek. She blushed, looking down to avoid his deep, intimate gaze. She nodded back to the bag, insinuating there’s more. He plopped the bear down on his knee and reached in the bag once more. He pulled out an elegant black box. Taking the lid off, his smile dropped to an astonished gape.  
“Annie,” he started. His eyes were fixed on the sleek silver watch, sitting perfectly in the box.  
“You like it?” she asked hopefully, “It’s the same one you said you liked when we were at the mall.”  
“Yeah, it’s amazing. God, it must’ve cost you a-“  
“Oh, Rich, please. You’re worth it!” She winked jovially. Rich’s smile was pure and full of love.  
“Thank you, Annie. It’s so thoughtful of you. Here, come on. Now it’s your turn!” he said, lifting her gift from off the floor. She took the bag from him and reached in for the card.  
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she read, flipping the card open, “Annie, you understand me like no one else. You make me laugh like no one else. You complete me in a way I never thought was possible,” her smile faded and her voice trailed off as it got caught in her throat. Rich glanced down, smiling to himself.  
“Rich,” Annie squeaked out, her voice tight, “This is… the sweetest thing I’ve ever read.”  
“I love you, Annie.”  
“I love you, too.” They stared lovingly at one another before Annie turned her attention back to her gift. Setting the card down, she reached into the bag and pulled out a little black box.  
“Oh, Rich! What is this?”  
“I paid attention at the mall, too,” he shrugged as she snapped the lid up and peered at the gold necklace inside. It had a thin, dainty chain and a golden pendant of a small rose.  
“And you were telling me _my_ gift was too expensive? Hypocrite,” she teased. Rich laughed.  
“There’s something else in there,” he prompted.  
“More?” she asked, reaching into the bag. She pulled out a lacy black teddy. Her mouth popped open in shock. She felt her face flush red as she examined it in front of her, holding it cautiously with both her hands. It was very small and the neck line was cut far down.  
“Wow,” was all Annie could get out, hoping the shock wasn’t too evident in her voice.  
“Nice, right?” Rich asked deviously, playfully raising his eyebrows. Annie’s eyes were wide and her smile was strained but she nodded.  
“Yeah,” she paused for a moment, swallowing hard, “yeah it’s… it’s uh…” she paused again, this time to laugh awkwardly, “it’s _sexy_.”  
Rich hummed in agreement, leaning in for a kiss. She put down the skimpy lingerie and closed her eyes. His kisses started out gentle and soft. He opened his mouth as an invitation for more passion. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and swiped along his lip. He started kissing her faster and harder, leaving her breathless. He tried to lean in over top of her, but the giftbag sitting on her lap crushed awkwardly between them. Annie pulled back, laughing. Rich reciprocated with a grin. She gently dropped the present on the ground and lay back on her couch. Rich’s arms propped him up as he hovered over her face. His head dropped to suck on her neck. The sensation made Annie hot as her breathing picked up. His lips made their way back up to her mouth when a faint buzzing could be heard. He pulled back for a moment.  
“What’s that?” he asked.  
“Probably my phone,” Annie sighed, shifting to try and get out from under Rich. He put all his weight on his one hand as the other rose to grab her shoulder, pushing her back down.  
“Woah, woah, come on,” he protested, “whatever it is, it can wait, I’m sure.”  
Annie’s eyebrows knotted together doubtfully, but she didn’t argue when Rich started kissing her again. The buzzing stopped shortly and Rich returned to sucking on her neck. She groaned at the feeling as her hands rose to run through Rich’s hair, pulling him in closer. He started nipping her lightly with his teeth, applying more pressure with his lips. She threw her head back blissfully when all of a sudden, the buzzing started again. Their eyes flew open and Annie turned her head to where her purse was hung up. Rich sighed impatiently, leaning back to sit down as Annie rose to get her phone.  
“Sorry,” she said, smiling sympathetically at Rich. His eyebrows jumped up and he smiled tightly, shrugging. He gave his head a slow shake, sighing once again as Annie reached into her purse and grabbed her phone.  
“Hello?”  
“Annie? Everything okay? You haven’t been answering anyone’s messages. Should we be worried about you too?” She recognized Jeff’s voice.  
“Well, I’m with Rich so I-“ Rich’s eyes turned to her as he heard his name. Annie couldn’t finish her thought because Jeff interrupted her.  
“Oh, Annie I- God I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize. Of course, yeah, no worries… enjoy your night.”  
“Wait, what did you mean earlier? About being worried? What’s going on?” she asked, her voice thick with concern.  
“Oh, right, uhh. See, no one’s found Pierce and he hasn’t been answering any of our messages or calls.” Annie’s mouth dropped open and her heart plunged to the bottom of her chest.  
“Oh no… you don’t think…” her voice trailed off as she imagined the worst.  
“Look, don’t worry. He’s probably at home, in bed… asleep. I mean, I didn’t see him much today. How many pills did he take?” he asked worry starting to set in his voice.  
“I- I don’t know. He seemed pretty bad when I last saw him but he could’ve been in worse condition… I guess?” she said, trying to convince herself.  
“Right…” Jeff mumbled with a barely audible sigh, “Annie, just go, enjoy your time with Rich. Sorry I interrupted. And uh… try not to worry too much about Pierce. It’ll be alright.”  
“Yeah, I’ll check your messages. God, I hope he’s okay… I just,” her voice got tight as she fought back tears, “I feel like this might be my fault? I mean, I was the last one with him and I knew he wasn’t okay. But did I do anything to help? No! I just told him, ‘oh we care about you’ when I should’ve taken him to the hospital or… I don’t know! I should’ve done _something_!” There was a brief silence on the other line.  
“No, Annie. God, don’t torture yourself. It’s no more your fault than it is any of ours. We’re all his friends. We all, unfortunately, have _some_ responsibility to look out for him. And if anything, it’s my fault. You were all prepared to get him help this morning. But I refused because I didn’t wanna be caught caring for someone other than myself? Please, you’re off the hook, kiddo. Blame’s all mine.” Annie laughed softly, comforted by Jeff’s unexpected vulnerability. Rich winced slightly, glaring at Annie’s giggling.  
“Thanks…”  
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m sorry I called… ruined the night, didn’t I?”  
“Well…” Annie chimed playfully, “No, no, I’m glad you called. I needed to know.”  
“Right… well… we’ll find him. Goodnight, Annie.”  
“Yeah, alright… Goodnight.” She pulled her phone away from her ear, ending the call with an exasperated exhalation. She paced back to the couch, phone still in hand as she opened her messages. She started reading through the group’s messages concerning Pierce’s possible whereabouts.  
“Who was that?” Rich asked as Annie spun to sit down on the couch, still scrolling through all of the missed messages. They all seemed fairly frantic, except for Abed, who kept insisting that this moment was crucial for Pierce’s character development. A few off-topic messages followed from Shirley and Britta, scolding Abed’s lack of worry.  
“Uhh... Jeff,” she said mindlessly, her attention on her phone. Rich scoffed harshly.  
“Jeff, huh? And why was _Jeff_ calling you at midnight on Valentine’s Day?” Annie looked up, confused by Rich’s slight accusatory tone.  
“What? No, it’s about Pierce,” she explained defensively.  
“Right, right... I'm sure that's why he was calling you this late at night,” he grumbled, his expression unfamiliarily grumpy.  
Annie screwed up her face and shook her head in disbelief.  
“Woah, woah, Rich, what are you talking about? Look, he just called me because the group had been messaging each other all night about Pierce and he was wondering why I wasn’t responding to anything.”  
Rich’s glare softened as he realized he may have overreacted. He nodded his head, accepting Annie’s words.  
“Yeah, okay. Sorry… that guy just really doesn’t sit well with me,” he admitted, staring at his hands in embarrassment. Annie’s face relaxed as she sighed, understanding Rich’s discomfort. She turned her focus back to her phone and started typing.  
Annie: _Sorry, guys! Jeff just let me know what I’d missed. Really worried about him… search party?_  
She waited anxiously for a response, biting her lip.  
“So, is Pierce in trouble, or...?” Rich asked, breaking the silence between them.  
“Based on their messages, it seems so... nobody found him after the dance. They looked all around the school. Troy, he lives with Pierce, he went over to his place but didn’t have his key with him, so he couldn’t check inside,” Annie explained, shaking her head at Troy’s childlike helplessness, “He said he tried to peak through the windows but the whole place was dark. So, he’s spending the night with Abed.”  
Her phone pinged and she opened the message instantly.  
Shirley: _Oh no, I am not wasting my night with Andre looking for Pierce. Old fool did this to himself._  
Annie winced at Shirley’s bluntness but understood her reason for refusal.  
Troy: _We would… but Abed and I are kinda busy_  
Annie: _Busy? Doing what?_  
Troy: _Something really important. It’s not a movie marathon._  
Annie: _Troy?_  
Abed: _It’s a movie marathon._  
Annie huffed angrily at her phone. She glanced up at Rich and her face fell considerably.  
“Oh, Rich, I’m sorry,” she began, shaking her head.  
“No, no, you know what? I should go,” he said. She opened her mouth to protest when her phone chimed again.  
Britta: _Jeez you guys! Selfish, much? Pierce could be hurt!_  
Annie jumped up as Rich rose from the couch, gathering his things to leave.  
“Rich, no! I’m sorry I ruined the night. I just-“ He cut her off, raising his hand as a signal for her to stop.  
“Annie, you have much more pressing matters to deal with. I think it’s best I head home.” She pouted, considering his words for a moment.  
“No hard feelings?” She asked hopefully. Rich smiled tightly and nodded.  
“No hard feelings.” With that, he opened the door and shut it behind him, leaving Annie with the feeling once again that she’d messed everything up, despite his insistence that everything was fine. She stood staring sadly at the door when her phone caught her attention again with another ping.  
Abed: _Pierce needs this hurt. It’s about time he grew up a little._  
Annie ignored Abed’s comment.  
Annie: _So, Britta? Should we go out and look for him?_  
Britta: _Oh, well aren’t you with Rich?_  
Annie: _He left. Search party? Yes or no?_  
Jeff: _Rich left?_  
Annie rolled her eyes, not wanting to explain how her night with Rich ended tragically short.  
Britta: _Well look who decided to speak up. Where ya been, Jeff?_  
Annie: _GUYS. Focus, please! Britta, are you coming out with me?_  
A few moments passed with no response. Annie whined with a nervous impatience.  
Annie: _Britta??_  
Britta: _So I might be a little bit drunk… not sure I’m fit for a search party at this exact moment…_  
Jeff: _Wow._  
Britta: _Hey I had a hard day!_  
Annie: _Jeff? You in or am I doing this alone?_  
Annie held her breath as she waited for his reply.  
Jeff: _Annie, we’re not doing this tonight. It’s late, we can look in the morning._  
Annie’s face crunched up in anger, disappointed by her friends’ lack of concern for Pierce. Her romantic night with Rich had been spoiled by her study group's antics and now no one seemed to care enough to actually do anything.  
Annie: _Fine, forget it. I’m going to look for him. Thanks, guys._  
Britta: _Annie don’t! You can’t go out there alone!_  
Annie threw her phone angrily across the couch, flinching as it smacked a pillow, her own strength shocking her. It amazed her how her friends could just accept that Pierce could be in trouble. While she understood it was hard caring for someone like him, she couldn’t understand how they all just felt fine leaving him to fend for himself. She wondered if they’d do the same to her. She rose from her seat and marched over to grab her coat. She started to unlock her door when she heard her phone buzzing again. Rolling her eyes, she stomped over to answer the call.  
“What is it?” she barked.  
“Hey, take it easy,” Jeff warned kindly, “Annie, don’t be stupid. You can’t go out looking for him on your own. It’s late, too dangerous for you to be out all alone.”  
“I’m not stupid, Jeff! And I can take care of myself! Now, you’re wasting my time, I have to go-“  
“Annie, you listen to me. You are not going out there. You hear me?” Jeff shouted sternly, startling Annie.  
“Or what?!” She challenged just as viciously. There was a pause between them before Jeff spoke again.  
“Annie, you’re going to get hurt. You’re not going. I know you feel the need to be there for him, but come on. This is Pierce we’re talking about! He’s not gonna fall apart from one rough night,” His voice was still stern but it had softened up a little, showing her more sympathy.  
“But he could, Jeff! No one’s looking out for him! I have to try to find him! He has no one else! It’s my fault he’s out there all alone, I owe it to him to help him!” she cried, her voice cracking.  
“Annie?”  
“I have to. I have to find him. I have to find him. It’s all my fault. It’s _my_ fault. I have to find him,” she yelled on her phone between sobs. Her vision was blurry from her tears, but she reached out for her door and left her apartment. She slammed her door behind her, locking it rapidly and jogging down the stairs.  
“Annie. Stop,” Jeff ordered rigidly upon hearing her door slam. Annie didn’t answer as she stepped out on to the street. She looked around wildly before walking down the sidewalk in the direction of the school. She figured she’d walk her way there, then circle the perimeter, getting farther each time around. Her determined march forward was cut short however when her neighbour, “Spaghetti,” jumped out of an alley way completely naked. Annie shrieked and turned her head away from the troubled man, holding her hands in front of her face.  
“Annie?!” Jeff shouted through the phone. Annie was about to hang up the call, when “Spaghetti” reached up and grabbed her wrist, jerking her forward, closer to him. She flinched in silent protest.  
“Jenny! Oh, Jenny, I’m so glad you’re alive! They took my clothes! They took my clothes and killed my wife! Please you have to help me. They’re going to kill me next and- and _eat_ me!” he babbled, incoherently. He pulled her in for an awkward hug, crying on her shoulder. She desperately tried to push him off while she could hear Jeff yelling at her from her phone. “Spaghetti” started wailing, throwing himself to the ground, groaning in deep sorrow. Annie caught her breath and brought her phone back up to her ear.  
“Jeff, I have to go,” she whimpered. Jeff started protesting, begging her to keep him on the line, but Annie hung up before he could convince her to stay on the phone. She clicked her phone off and was slipping it into her coat pocket when she felt warm hands wrap around her ankle. She stumbled forward a bit and noticed “Spaghetti” shaking his head madly, face down on the ground.  
“Hey, hey,” Annie said through voice cracks. She knelt down and started patting him comfortingly on his head despite her disgust for the filthy man, “I know you’re scared, but if you go inside, you’ll be safe! Can I walk you in?” He stopped sobbing abruptly, he rose to his feet, prompting Annie to stand with him. He scowled at her and pointed a snappish finger in her face.  
“You’re trying to _trick_ me. You want to get me inside so they can eat me! How could you, Jenny?! Let me go!” He screamed at her, giving her a brisk shove and running past her down the street. She gasped and turned, her eyes following him.  
“My name’s Annie!” she shouted after him. She shook her head, just now digesting the nonsense from earlier, “And you don’t even have a wife!” She considered running after him to make sure he makes it home safely without getting into trouble, but she already had Pierce to worry about and couldn’t waste her time on yet another drug addict in need.  
She charged towards the school, wiping tears from her eyes. She heard dogs barking and people shouting in their houses. She walked past a few drug deals and a couple having sex in an alley, behind a dumpster. Her stomach twisted tightly as she continued walking. Cars whipped by on the street, their engines roaring. Cops followed close behind, going just as fast. She walked past a few people passed out on the street. One was singing an old sea shanty, slurring his words together. She had a few minutes of walking left before she’d be at the school, when a truck slowed down and pulled up beside her. She continued walking but felt troubled by the truck driving at her pace.  
“Hey, where you headed?” the voice called out at her. She glanced at the driver. He looked to be slightly older than her. He was extremely pale but his face was darkened by the brim of his baseball cap. She smiled kindly at him but continued walking.  
“What’s the matter? I asked you a question,” he snapped grimly. Her heart sank in her chest.  
“Just… walking,” she replied, keeping her eyes on the sidewalk. She sped up a little, but so did the driver.  
“Want a ride?” he leered at her. She felt her spine twinge with worry.  
“Uhh, no. That’s alright, thank you,” she said, her voice shaking ever so slightly. She continued walking while the truck kept following her.  
“I like that dress, baby,” he complimented.  
“Oh, thank you!” she beamed quietly, her discomfort still clear.  
“So, how about it?” he asked. She hummed in confusion.  
“Hop in and we can make an arrangement. You suck me off and I'll take you wherever you wanna go.” She didn’t answer, her face screwed up in disgust, but she held her tongue.  
“Hey, get in.”  
“Um, no. No, thank you,” she declined politely, but firmly.  
“Oh, come on, don’t be like that. You a little prude? Get in,” he said. Annie’s heart was racing. She sped up some more.  
“Hey, hey, you tryna get away from me? What’s up?” she refused to answer, staring down the road ahead, quickening her pace even more. The driver honked at her, making her jump in surprise.  
“Hey,” he shouted, “Get in.”  
“I said _no_ ,” Annie said. She was desperately trying to hide her fear but her voice was shaking.  
He leaned over and spat out the window. His spit landed just near Annie’s foot.  
“Yeah, forget it then. You’re not even that hot, bitch,” he sneered. Slamming his foot on the gas, his car zoomed forward, blowing her hair in her face. She sighed in relief, holding her hand to her chest. The color slowly returned to her cheeks as she calmed down. She stood still for a moment before continuing her walk to the school. Her pace had slowed considerably. The determination she had at the beginning of the night had faded as she walked through the dark, hopeless streets. The school was within view when another car started following her. She picked up her pace, practically running, when a familiar voice sounded from the car.  
“Annie, stop,” Jeff yelled. She turned her head and rolled her eyes upon seeing him slow down beside her. Though she was somewhat relieved a friend was following her rather than a threat, she knew he wasn’t there to help her.  
“Go away, Jeff,” she snapped at him, continuing her march to the school. Jeff’s car jerked forward in front of her. He pulled it to park and stepped out of the car. He stomped over to Annie and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back. She tripped and bumped into his chest awkwardly. She raised her other hand to push him off but he seized her other wrist.  
“Let me go!” she cried, thrashing fiercely against his chest. She managed to twist herself free. She stumbled backwards, glared at Jeff with tears in her eyes, and turned to keep going.  
“We don’t even know if he’s in trouble. He’s probably fine. Why do you care so much?” Jeff shouted at her back.  
“Because I’m him!” Annie screamed, spinning harshly to meet Jeff’s eyes. Jeff was taken aback by Annie’s burst of anger. He stared blankly at her as she brought a trembling hand to her face to wipe away a few tears.  
“I was him, Jeff,” she repeated less aggressively.  
“When I was going through the worst of my addiction, I was alone. No one noticed that I was struggling… or if they did, they didn’t care. The pills were only part of the problem. The real issue was that I had no one looking out for me.”  
Jeff’s heart ached for Annie, understanding now why she’d been so hard on herself for dismissing Pierce. She stopped trying to keep her face free of tears. They kept falling down her cheeks, leaving her mascara smudged and her eyes wet.  
“But, Annie, by going out here, looking for him, you put yourself in danger, too. What would we do if we lost you _and_ Pierce?”  
She shook her head, staring at the ground.  
“I’m going to keep looking,” she whispered. Jeff shook his head and sighed.  
“No, you’re not, Annie. I’m taking you home,” Jeff insisted, walking up and grabbing her wrist again. She fought against him viciously. She was gritting her teeth as she pushed against him with all her might. Despite her resistance, he pulled her in and pressed her into him. He wrapped his arms around her back and leaned in over her, trapping her in a hug. He held her protectively while she desperately tried to push him away. Her fists pounded madly against his rib cage and she started crying harder.  
“Get off! I have to find him! I have to help him!” she objected, screaming maniacally. Jeff just held her close, unwilling to let her go. Her voice got stuck in her throat as she started sobbing. She couldn’t form the words to fight back anymore. Her tense fists unstiffened against his pecs. She allowed her head to fall against him as she threw her arms around his torso and cried into his chest.

They stood in a tragic embrace in the middle of the sidewalk for a few minutes. They didn’t speak as Jeff gently guided Annie to the passenger’s seat. She slid in, her face sorrowful and subdued. On the drive back to Annie’s apartment, Annie kept nodding off, her eyelids heavy. His car wasn't perfect. Jeff had to drive slowly and carefully to keep the ride as smooth as possible, not wanting to startle her. When he pulled up to a stop in front of Dildopolis, he looked over at her. She was a mess. Her hair was untamed and falling in front of her face, which was sticky with tears and blotchy makeup streaks. Her head was leaning uncomfortably against the window, her breath ever so slightly fogging up a small patch of glass. He smiled. Seeing her so unkempt and sloppy was a rare occasion, but it was beautiful and real. He climbed out of the car, closing his door softly behind him as he walked over to the passenger’s side. He carefully opened the door, his hands quick to support her after pulling away the door in which she was resting on. He undid her seat belt and slipped one of his arms under her back and the other under her legs. She groaned weakly as Jeff hauled her out. He chuckled softly as Annie’s head flopped back like a baby’s, her mouth falling open. He kicked the car door closed and made his way up the stairs. He stood at Annie’s door unsure how to proceed next. He fumbled around, trying not to drop her as he snaked one of his hands into her coat pocket. He felt around for her keys. His fingers brushed against warm metal. Just as he was about to pull the keys out, Annie shifted slightly, almost falling out of Jeff’s arms. He was able to pull her keys out and unlock her door without disturbing her or dropping her. He put the keys back in her pocket and tried to open the door. Annie’s dead weight in his arms was starting to take a toll on him. He flicked the knob and then pushed the door open with his foot. He carried her hurriedly over to her bed, desperate to regain feeling in his arms. He dropped her gently on her bed, slipping his arms out from under her in a relieved sigh. She squirmed a bit, getting comfortable. Jeff watched her with a soft smirk. She had been so distressed earlier that night, clawing at him like a feral animal, and now she was as peaceful as a sleeping kitten. He turned to go, but Annie mumbled a quiet objection.  
“Jeff,” she moaned softly. Jeff’s heart skipped a beat, hearing her call for him.  
“Don’t leave me… _please_. Stay,” Her voice was breaking, worn out and raw from all her screaming. He considered staying the night with her. He argued with himself. She _was_ asking for him to say, but she was barely conscious. He sadly pictured her disappointment waking up alone, but picturing her waking up beside him didn't seem like a great outcome either. He stared at her bed, waiting for it to pull him in to make the decision for him. He sighed softly, knowing deep down, they'd both be better off if he were to leave.  
“Hmm… I don’t think Rich would like that,” he replied, his voice a low whisper, hoping she’d stay drowsy and not argue with him.  
“Rich,” she repeated, mindlessly. Jeff nodded to himself as he turned for the door. Annie barely heard him leave, falling fast asleep seconds after the door shut.


	7. Intermediate Documentary Film-making

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favourite episodes. It was so simple and sweet. I love character driven episodes and this one really pushed each of the characters into troubled positions. Every other line had a joke and every time I watch it, I find something new. Abed’s closing monologue was just so precious and Britta was hilarious in this one. I also loved seeing Jeff so nervous, trying to stay guarded. Shirley killed it in this episode as well. The documentary format made it reminiscent of the office! That's just my unasked for opinion! Anyway, this chapter mainly takes place before and after, let’s go. Nothing should be triggering here.

Jeff awoke with a start. His phone was buzzing, vibrating his bedside table. With a groan, he stiffly reached for his cell. Last night had really worn him down. After a painfully long day of ignoring his study group, he then had to deal with Pierce's disappearance and track down a hysterical Annie. And even though Annie isn't necessarily physically strong, she had lashed out on his chest enough to leave him slightly sore. To top it all off, his night ended horribly to normal Winger standards. Usually, when a pretty girl invites him into her bed, he would _never_ decline. But, given the context of everything that had happened and seeing as her invitation was emotional rather than sexual, Jeff knew he did the right thing. The memories of last night were swiped clean from his head as he checked who was calling him.  
BROOKS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL  
He squinted at his phone, the light annoying his eyes. _What? The hospital? There's no way that's for me. Wrong number,_ he thought assuredly. Declining the call, he returned his phone to his bedside table and tried to fall back asleep.  
Two minutes later his phone buzzed again. He groaned in annoyance and checked his phone.  
BRITTA  
His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he grumbled to himself as he answered the call. Before he could speak, Britta started growling over the phone.  
“You, Jag!” she hissed at him. His eyebrows jumped up, shocked by her aggressiveness so early in the morning.  
“Good morning to you, too.”  
“I just got off the phone with the hospital, Jeff! They told me they tried calling you first but you didn’t pick up?! What’s the matter with you?” she snapped.  
“The hospital called you, too?” he asked, screwing up his face in confusion, “What’s going on?”  
“It’s Pierce, he was found unconscious on a park bench near the school. They said he’s in decent condition now, but who knows how long that’ll last! You call Troy and Abed, I’ll handle the girls. Meet you down at the hospital?” she proposed.  
Jeff nodded in shock before remembering he had to verbally answer her over the phone.  
“Yeah, yeah, of course.”

After the group was done suffering through Pierce's orchestrated torture, the group left the hospital. Levar Burton delayed his flight and took Troy for dinner. It was going to be catered to the study room so Troy could give his idol a tour of his school. (Of course, it didn’t go so smoothly for Troy, as he spent the entire night staring wide-eyed at Levar). Abed huddled himself in the recording van he rented, editing the footage of his documentary. Jeff stayed in Pierce’s room at the hospital, feeling bad for his misplaced anger. This left the ladies to decide how to spend their evening. They debated going out, but ultimately decided they were far too fatigued for a flashy night. Shirley offered that the girls head back to her place.  
“We can do each others’ nails and make fun drinks!” she chimed sweetly. While the proposition appealed to Britta and Annie, both “aww”- ing at the idea, the two exchanged a glance, knowing “nails and drinks,” would get warped by guilt tripping to turn into “help make dinner, clean up around the house and entertain her boys.”  
“Well… my apartment’s closer! It might just make sense for us to go there first?” Annie suggested. Britta nodded eagerly, desperate for Shirley to agree. Shirley nodded as well, but the way her face changed hinted to Annie and Britta that she saw through them.

They all got in their cars and drove to Dildopolis. Crossing the street, Shirley clutched her bag as if her life depended on it. Britta rolled her eyes at Shirley’s behaviour, not wanting Annie to feel embarrassed about her living situation. But, her open-mindedness faded quickly when she saw two men shouting at each other, with a topless woman rocking herself on the ground between them. She turned away, stunned, only to be met with a homeless looking man chewing on his t-shirt. Britta and Shirley sheepishly followed Annie upstairs, cowering behind their youngest friend. She unlocked her door and invited her friends inside. Before she could go in with them, a man bellowed at her from down the hall. Shirley jumped, startled by his booming voice. Annie turned and watched as her landlord thumped over to her door. She smiled meekly at him. Britta frowned as the massive man towered intimidatingly over Annie, getting far too close; forcing Annie’s back to press firmly against the door frame in order to maintain an inch of space between them.  
“Rent’s due,” he grunted, huffing hot, nasty breath over Annie’s face. She nodded.  
“I have it, here. Sorry I didn’t get it to your office earlier, my friend was in the h-“  
“Go get it, sugar. I’ll wait,” he said, cutting her off gruffly with a shooing wave. Annie nodded again, her eyebrows knotted together apologetically. She slipped past him and grabbed the envelope on her table in the kitchen area. She hurried back over to the door and handed the money to her landlord.  
“There you go,” she hummed. He snatched the envelope from her hands, standing tall and blocking the doorway. He flicked open the envelope and fingered through the cash. He grunted and grinned stiffly at her. He brought a huge paw to her cheek and gave it a strong pinch, as if he were her grandmother.  
“Good girl,” he praised, his kind words conflicting with his grumbled voice. The man turned and stomped down the hall. His sheer muscly weight made it feel like the whole building was shaking as he walked away. Annie wished him a goodnight and shut the door behind her. She turned to face her friends who stood in awe of her. She beamed at them with slight confusion.  
“What?” she asked. A pounding could be heard from down the hall. A door swung open and there was a brief shouting match that ended with what sounded like a powerful punch and a man thudding to the floor crying as the other stomped down the hall slamming his door. Britta and Shirley shared a concerned look.  
“ _That_ was your _landlord_?” Britta confirmed. Annie nodded, puzzled by Britta's tone.  
“He seems…” Shirley started, unsure how she wanted to proceed.  
“Violent,” Britta concluded bluntly. Annie shook her head with a gentle laugh, insisting he’s fine.  
“Oh no, as long as you follow the rules, he’s harmless! He’s never killed anyone,” she assured her friends.  
“Hmm so that’s the standard?” Shirley judged, shaking her head and pursing her lips, “you’re tougher than we give you credit for.” Annie’s eyes widened and she smiled, feeling tremendous pride.  
“Oh! Well, thank you… Can I get you guys anything to drink? I have water annndd,” she paused while opening the fridge, “orange juice.” There was an unsure silence as Shirley and Britta waited for Annie to continue. As they realized by her expectant expression that she was done, they rushed to give their answers. Britta subtly turned her nose up at Annie’s alcohol-less drink selection, remembering her age.  
“Water’s fine,” Britta decided.  
“Me too, please,” Shirley agreed. Annie grabbed three glasses and poured water into each of them while Shirley and Britta settled on her couch.  
“So, how’d last night go?” Annie asked, glancing at Shirley as she handed her a glass.  
“Oh, it was amazing,” Shirley sang jovially, “We talked for hours and… you know, made up for lost time,” she added with a wink. Annie wiggled her shoulders playfully, pulling over a chair from her kitchen to sit facing her friends on the couch. Britta gave props to Shirley by lightly nudging her arm, which prompted her to let out a cheerful giggle.  
“It was nice. You know after being away from him for so long, it’s just nice to know nothing’s changed between us.”  
Britta pursed her lips trying to reserve judgement. Annie caught on to Britta’s efforts and shot her an encouraging nod.  
“Well, I’m glad you two had a good night! Must be a very special bond,” Annie admired. Britta turned her attention to Annie.  
“How about your night? You were spending time with Rich, right? Then you said he left?” she asked with great interest. The memories of last night came flooding over Annie. They were so pronounced and overwhelming she actually felt like she was drowning in them. She remembered Rich leaving with great disappointment, though he made efforts to hide it. She remembered walking through the streets with tears in her eyes, feeling heartbreakingly hopeless. She remembered the crude man that yelled at her from his truck. She remembered Jeff finding her and fighting with her until she couldn't fight anymore. She didn't remember how she got back home, but she assumed Jeff had dropped her off. Her mind went fuzzy and her face screwed up, snapping back to the present.  
“Yeah… it was a weird night I guess.”  
“Weird?” Shirley prompted Annie to continue.  
“Well, dinner was fine. Then we came back here and did our gift exchange which was… also fine. Then-"  
“Oh, did he like the watch?” Shirley chirped. Annie nodded, smiling.  
“What’d he get you?” Britta asked. Annie paused and shook her head.  
“Oh, y’know, just the necklace I was eyeing when we went to the mall. It’s sweet he remembered.”  
“That’s nice,” Shirley beamed.  
“That it?” Britta asked, nodding her head towards the gift bag beside the couch, near her feet. She leaned forward to put her glass down on Annie’s coffee table. Annie’s heart dropped as Britta reached for the gift bag.  
“Um, yeah, but maybe don’t-“ Annie’s nervously squeaky voice trailed off as Britta’s hand dipped into the bag.  
“This feels like..." Britta started under her breath as she grabbed some fabric from the bag and pulled it out. Her voice stopped as she held up the lingerie Rich had gifted Annie. Britta held up the lacy bodysuit, her mouth wide open. It curved upwards in a devious smile.  
“Jeez Louise, Alicia Keys!” she teased, squinting at Annie, “What about the necklace, huh?”  
Annie pulled the bag away from Britta, plunging her hand in and pulling out the black box. She tossed the bag to the side and practically slammed the necklace on the table. Shirley was gently rocking in her seat, shaking her head at the sight of the teddy.  
“There’s no way all _that_ fits in this,” Britta laughed, gesturing to Annie’s chest. Annie blushed furiously and ripped the skimpy bodysuit out of her friend’s hands. Shirley cleared her throat and looked timidly at Annie.  
“Um… An-nie? You and Rich aren’t having premarital… sexual relations, are you?” she asked, her sweet tone turning sour. Britta rolled her eyes and then glared at Shirley.  
“Oh, come on, Shirley. Annie’s a young woman in the 21st century. She can do whatever she wants. Besides, we already know, _she’s not a virgin_ ,” Britta whispered the last part menacingly at Shirley. Shirley shot a glare back at the progressive blonde.  
“Mm, I know that. But we all make mistakes and Annie’s been abstinent since then. She’s redeeming herself and I’d just hate to see her throw that away because of some horny, middle-aged man!”  
“Oh, give me a break! You can’t hold Annie to a higher standard just because she’s _Annie_. People have sex, Shirley, get over it!”  
Annie shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t like her two girl friends arguing... especially when it was over her sex life. The two continued yelling over one another, only stopping when Annie raised her voice.  
“We’re not having sex!” she shouted.  
“You’re not?” Britta and Shirley exclaimed at the same time, rising abruptly from the couch. Britta’s voice was ridden with confusion and surprise, her face screwed up. On the other hand, Shirley sounded thrilled, an elated grin stretching across her face. Annie blushed, staring down at her hands, which she had started playing with nervously.  
“No,” she whispered, gingerly looking up from under her eyelashes to observe her friends’ reactions.  
“Ooohh, that’s nice,” Shirley sang, slightly sneering at Britta before wiggling back down to her seat on the couch. Britta frowned at Shirley before turning to Annie.  
“Why not?” Britta asked, pouting slightly. She also sat down, not wanting for the nature of her question to seem confrontational. Annie was still fidgeting in her seat, her face red with embarrassment.  
“Can’t we talk about something else?” she pleaded in a small voice.  
“Well, if we talk about Shirley’s relationship, I judge her choice to get back together with the man that cheated on her and broke her heart,” Britta explained glancing sourly across the couch, “And if we talk about my ‘love’ life, Shirley calls me a sloppy alcoholic, like she has any right to judge,” Britta added the last part bitterly under her breath. Shirley nodded in begrudging agreement, ignoring the indirect jab to her past alcoholism. Annie’s mouth opened slightly with an offended scoff, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.  
“Unbelievable,” she scolded, “You know how it feels to be judged and so _you_ avoid it by forcing _me_ to open up to _your_ judgement?” Britta’s shoulders slumped over and Shirley pouted, leaning back on the couch, both feeling shame. They sat in silence for a moment, reflecting on their actions. Shirley was the first to speak up.  
“We’re sorry, An-nie. It’s just, you know everything about us and I guess we were hoping to learn more about you.”  
“Yeah, Annie,” Britta continued, “The reason we can judge each other so easily is because we know so much about one another… maybe too much. But that’s just how friendship works, right? We share things with one another.”  
“Mhm, just doesn’t make sense why you wouldn’t wanna share with us. You do want to be friends, don’t you?”  
Annie wasn’t sure whether her friends were sincerely sorry or not. Either way, their guilt trip was working and Annie felt bad for keeping her life so secret from her friends. With a sigh, her eyes turned back to the ground. If she was going to be vulnerable, she knew she couldn’t look her friends in their eyes. She started twisting the ball of her foot into the ground fretfully.  
“I guess... we’ve come close a few times. I just… I call it off every time,” she admitted, flushing red. She played with the lingerie in her hands, her fingers pinching at the lacy fabric, “I feel like this was a warning or something? Like if we don’t… _y’know_ anytime soon, he’ll move on to someone else.” Her voice started trailing off at the end. Britta and Shirley watched their friend with sad eyes.  
“Rich isn’t that kind of guy. With most men, if you don’t sleep with them within the first week of dating, they’ll call it quits. But you guys have been going out for _a month_ now and-“ Britta paused seeing Annie’s head peek up at the way Britta emphasized her thought, “not that I’m judging... but Rich is maybe going to start expecting some things.”  
“Sure, but Rich is a sweet boy, and I'm sure he wouldn’t leave you if you decided to stay on the path of righteousness. You don’t have to be unholy to please your man. Have you tried baking?” Shirley added. Annie opened her mouth to respond, when Britta turned to Shirley to fire back a response.  
“We know Rich is great, but he’s still got a penis. Now I know you won’t believe this Shirley, but sometimes men think with what’s between their legs, rather than what’s up in their skull.”  
“Excuse me? Don’t preach to me about the profane desires of men, you tramp. You _know_ , I know _all_ about that, going through what I went through with Andre!”  
“Guys!” Annie yelled, as Britta’s mouth flew open with hurt. “I’m not going to talk about this if you keep fighting.” Britta nodded, desperate to get involved and help Annie. Shirley nodded too, longing to learn more for gossip and hopefully keep her friend abstinent. A tense quiet invaded the room.  
“So, why do you think you’re resistant to sleep with him?” asked Britta, leaning in. She rested her elbow on her knee and held up her head. Britta had always been interested in people and why they do the things they do. She had been toying with the idea of majoring in psychology to become a therapist. She lived to help others and that’s exactly what she intended to do with Annie.  
“I don’t know,” Annie mumbled, still refusing to meet her friends’ eyes. Britta nodded, considering her friend’s avoidant body language. _Intimacy issues_ , she thought.  
“Well, you like Rich, right?” Britta prompted. Shirley looked to Annie for a response.  
“Yeah, of course I like him. That’s why we’re dating,” Annie explained, pronouncing the obvious as she looked up.  
“And you’re sexually attracted to him, too?” Annie paused for a moment. Britta jumped on Annie’s hesitation.  
“Ahh, maybe that’s it. You like Rich as a person, but don’t see him under a sexual light. Maybe, you’re trying to convince yourself you like him that way so you can spend more time with him because you just like him,” Britta analyzed. Before she could continue, Annie shook her head and drew back, rejecting Britta’s reasoning.  
“No, no. I am attracted to him… _sexually_ ,” she said. Shirley tried to choke back a disapproving hum. With a sigh, Annie continued, “I mean… it’s a little weird though. He’s Rich, y’know? It’s like getting into bed with Mr. Rogers.” Her friends nodded, Britta cringing in disgust at the thought. Shirley smiled bashfully. It’s hard to picture such wholesome men being anything other than sweet and innocent.  
“But is that really all that’s stopping you? I mean, surely after dating for a month you’ve been able to get more intimate with him? Shouldn’t the closer bond make him seem a little more alluring?” Britta asked. Annie nodded.  
“Yeah, definitely. I mean he’s really attractive,” she laughed, blushing as she pictured his piercing eyes, his strong, wide torso, his pearly smile and his firm, yet gentle hands. Her smile softened as she started compulsively fiddling with the lingerie in her hands again. “I guess I might be a little scared,” she admitted. Her heart stopped beating in her chest. She knew she was about to be pitied like a child. Both of her friends were mature women with fair sexual experiences. She didn’t exactly fit in with them.  
“Oh, that’s normal, sweetie,” Shirley said, attempting to soothe her friend, “You just have to be open and honest with your man. And maybe wait until you’re sure you’re ready. There’s nothing like a promise to God to love one another for eternity to get you both in the mood.” Britta stared at Shirley in disbelief. She fought back her urge to argue.  
“Errrm, yeahh. I agree with some of what Shirley said. But you don’t have to _marry_ Rich to be comfortable having sex with him. No ‘promises’ have to be made, but you _do_ have to talk to him about how you feel. Make sure you know what you want and then you need to tell him so he knows what you want, too.”  
“I don’t know,” Annie shrugged, staring down at the floor, “I just… what if I’m never ready?” she cried out, her voice straining. Britta frowned in confusion. “Whenever we’re about to… _do it_ , I get this overwhelming feeling in my head. Then, I panic and,” Annie threw her hands up in frustration, huffing instead of finishing her thought.  
“Are you sure that feeling’s not arousal?” Britta asked. Annie shrugged, not denying the possibility. Britta hummed.  
“Maybe that feeling’s the good Lord sneaking into your subconscious, trying to remind you to avoid seeking pleasure in lustful sin,” Shirley added unhelpfully. Annie didn’t agree so much with Shirley’s hypothesis. There was an awkward pause. Breaking the silence, Shirley rose to her feet.  
“I think I should get home,” Shirley declared with a pout. Britta and Annie shook their heads and pleaded that she stay.  
“Mmm, no. I’m not fishing for that. I know when I’m not needed,” she said, forcing the girls to sit sadly with great guilt. Shirley huffed and softened up, “I understand we may have differing views. I know my beliefs can put a strain on things, but I’m not willing to give up what I stand for to please you two ungodl-... lovely ladies. I’m just going to go home to my boys. I hope my devotion to a proper, holy life hasn’t offended you.”  
Britta and Annie shared an uneasy glance, knowing this was the closest thing to an apology they’d get from the cruise director of guilt trips.  
“We’re sorry too, Shirley. We shouldn’t judge you for being dedicated to your religion,” Annie apologised, rising from her seat to give Shirley a hug. She dropped the bodysuit back in its bag before trotting over to her friend with Britta on her heels.  
“Yeah,” Britta agreed reluctantly, “we’re good?”  
Shirley smiled at her friends and drew them in for a hearty hug. They broke apart and beamed sympathetically at Shirley as she reached for the door. She was only a few steps down the hall when she shrieked. Annie and Britta peered out into the hall frantically to find Shirley pressed against the wall, distancing herself from one of Annie’s neighbours. He was crouching on the ground, barking and growling at Shirley like a feral dog. Annie briskly turned back inside to grab her purse.  
“I’m gonna walk her to her car,” she stated, rushing out after Shirley.

When Annie came back, the two girls chatted for a while, discussing Shirley’s manipulative tactics. When their complaints had fizzled out, and Annie had finished cleaning Shirley’s water glass and refilling Britta’s, she turned to walk back to her seat, handing Britta her glass.  
“Why don’t you sit on the couch with me?” Britta asked, patting the cushion beside her. Annie faltered for a moment before shrugging and plopping down beside Britta. She put her water down on the table, then turned to face her friend. She frowned, her eyes widening with concern when she saw Britta smiling forcefully, sitting all too close. She looked like she was being held at gun point with her façade of false gentleness. Britta reached out her hands and held Annie’s, giving them an encouraging squeeze.  
“Annie,” she started, her eyes soft with sensitivity, her facial expression and voice slightly patronizing, “do you have problems with intimacy?”  
“No,” Annie scowled, pulling her hands back and shifting down the couch. She ignored the irony of her response versus her recoiling. Britta cocked her head and smiled tightly with doubt. Annie scoffed and crossed her arms protectively.  
“Oh, well, whatever,” she hissed. Britta nodded and stared at Annie, refusing to change the subject. Annie shifted in discomfort under Britta’s compassionate gaze.  
“Okay,” Annie started more delicately, “so maybe I am a _little_ uncomfortable when it comes to intimacy, but who isn’t?”  
Britta hummed, pleased with herself to have gotten Annie to admit to her uneasiness.  
“I think you need to work on your physical and emotional confidence before having sex,” Britta advised. Annie looked up at Britta, waiting for her to explain further. Britta reached out to hold Annie’s hands again to continue, but Annie pulled back, forcing Britta to awkwardly play off the gesture.  
“It takes a lot of confidence to be vulnerable. And sex is a _minefield_ of vulnerability. You keep trying to force yourself into being ready, but that won’t help you. You need to actively confront your intimacy issues and then you’ll actually be ready,” Britta recommended. Annie blinked, taking in Britta’s suggestion. She already felt slightly more comfortable discussing sex with Britta.  
“Okay, so how do I build up confidence for intimacy?” Annie asked hopefully. Britta paused to think.  
“Well, you need to be self-assured with your own sexuality… I think you need to start by figuring out what you like. Maybe explore things while pleasuring yourself to find-“ she stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Annie’s sudden loss of certainty. Her face went bright red and her eyes were wide with horror. Britta stared back at her, perplexed.  
“You mean… _masturbate_?” Annie whispered, shock leaking through her voice.  
“Yes?” Britta confirmed, not understanding Annie’s surprise. Annie’s mouth hung open as she leaned back, drawing away from her friend.  
“Annie? You okay?” Britta asked with mild worry. Annie’s jaw shut tightly and she closed her eyes. She nodded and squeaked out, “Mhm.” Britta frowned, knowing Annie was hiding something. She studied her friend’s nervous attitude and then raised her eyebrows with realization.  
“Annie?” she waited until her friend met her eyes, “Do you not masturbate?” Annie ripped her eyes back to the floor, blushing furiously. Britta choked back her laughter.  
“No wonder you’re always so uptight!” she commented bluntly. Annie winced and stared glumly at the floor. Britta internally scolded herself for judging her friend once again. She continued with a kinder tone.  
“Annie, people need… release,” she began. She thought for a moment before carrying on, “For example, you know when we’re all trying to study, but we keep getting distracted? Sometimes that gets you worked up. So, you raise your voice and tell us to focus, slam your hands on the table, or lie to us, saying we’re not funny,” Annie raised an eyebrow at Britta’s delusion, “You do something to let out that pent up frustration. You understand where I’m going with this? People get 'worked up' and 'frustrated' in other ways too. And just like anger, it needs a release.”  
Annie’s heart was pounding in her chest.  
“You know what I mean? You know the feeling I’m talking about?” Britta asked, making sure Annie was on the same page.  
“Yes,” Annie whispered. After everything they've been discussing, she was feeling inexplicably ashamed talking about her arousal with Britta.  
“So, when you feel that way, how do you… relieve yourself?”  
“I usually just distract myself… and wait for the feeling to pass,” Annie answered.  
“Oh, Annie,” Britta whispered with pity. Annie couldn’t meet Britta’s eyes.  
“I guess I’ve always been sort of… repressed. So, I never really learned how to handle _those_ feelings,” she explained, staring at her hands.  
“Well, good news is, it’s never to late to learn,” Britta chuckled with an awkward grin. When Annie didn’t crack even a slight smile at Britta’s attempt to be light-hearted, she coughed and took a more serious tone, “Annie, you live above a _sex shop_. You just have to march on down there, head high, and get yourself a vibrator.”  
Annie winced in disgust, shaking her head.  
“I- I don’t know if I can do that.”  
“Why not?”  
“It’s embarrassing, Britta!” Annie whined. Britta shrugged, offering little empathy for Annie’s nerves.  
“Well, If you can’t do that, I don’t think you’re ready for sex, Annie.” A heavy silence fell on the room. Annie was pouting at the floor, worrying about her relationship with Rich falling apart. She knew Rich was a nice guy, but she could tell he was getting tired of the PG-13 relationship. Britta tried to think of another way to help, but her mind was blank. They sat in the dreary quiet for a few moments longer, when Britta piped up.  
“Hold on,” she started, hands thrown up as if she was trying to literally connect the pieces, like they were physically in front of her, “how do you explain the graphic story you told during our _Dungeons and Dragons_ game?” Annie shook her head and shrugged.  
“That was different. It was a roleplaying game,” Annie clarified. Britta’s eyes widened and she bounced lightly on the couch in excitement.  
“Yeah, but, clearly, you know your stuff. You just need to put it into action.” Annie didn’t follow what her friend meant. Britta’s shoulders slumped forward in slight defeat, before sitting up straight again to elaborate.  
“Remember when we tried to get Abed to talk to that girl we thought drew him in her textbook?” Annie nodded. “We told him to be the _version_ of himself that would approach her. Soooo, how about next time you and Rich are gettin’ hot and heavy,” Annie cringed slightly at Britta’s word choice, “you _roleplay_ as the _version_ of yourself that would follow through with sex!” Britta shouted enthusiastically. Annie nodded slowly, seriously considering the idea.  
“Huh… yeah, okay. I think I could try that,” Annie smiled, her voice gaining confidence. Britta sighed, content to have made some suggestions that Annie seemed to like. They changed the topic, much to Annie's relief and began discussing lighter matters. They laughed about memories from the past and considered what the future had in store.

It started getting dark out. Annie insisted on walking Britta to her car. Britta tried to refuse but deep down she knew Annie's neighborhood was dangerous and it wouldn't hurt to be accompanied by someone who has been living there for a while.  
“Thanks for hosting an… unusual evening,” Britta laughed, “I had fun.”  
“No, Britta, thank you. Seriously. I’ve never had someone I could talk about all that stuff with before. I don’t know if I’ve ever said this to you, but… you’re a really great friend.”  
Britta’s heart sunk in her chest. Her face fell and she swore she was nearly tearing up. She flung her arms around Annie’s shoulders, trapping her in an urgent hug. Annie hugged her back, burying her face in the crook of Britta’s neck. The two stayed wrapped in each other’s embrace for a while. It was a deep, loving embrace, the kind that expressed all their mutual appreciation for one another without any words. Britta’s arms loosened up and she started to pull back, but Annie didn’t pick up on Britta’s attempt to end the hug.  
“Annie?” Britta prompted. Annie withdrew from her friend quickly when she noted the discomfort in her voice. She laughed nervously as Britta eyed her flushed face.  
“Alright…” Britta started tentatively, “I’d better get going.”  
Annie jogged across the street as Britta hopped into her car. They waved at one another as their night drew to a close. After Britta had pulled away, Annie turned back to go inside. But, before making her way upstairs, she lingered in the aisles of Dildopolis. Her eyes were wide with mystification. The aisles were lined with intimidating toys. She didn't even know what some of the items were. She reminded herself that all this was normal and she needed to become more self-assured to be sexually confident. Though half of her brain was screaming at her to retreat upstairs, the other half was ready to take bold steps into exploring her sexuality. So there she stood; caught between the last few beloved fragments of her innocence, and her blossoming womanhood. Outside of her overthinking mind however, she was truly just caught between a colorful shelf of vibrators and a rack of peculiar collars, harnesses, garters, and belts.


	8. Intimacy 101- Let's Try This Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, here we go. So, this one takes place after Intermediate Documentary Film-making and before Intro to Political Science. This is going to be a mature chapter. Warning you readers for mild impatience and a lack of communication during sex. Shouldn't be anything too too extreme but I want to be cautious. <3

Annie, like much of her life, had scheduled when she’d have sex with Rich. In the days leading up to the date, she would walk around her apartment nude, gradually getting more comfortable. She had tried pleasuring herself, as per Britta’s suggestion, but never achieved total and complete satisfaction. Whether she was ready or not, the date she’d chosen had arrived. She donned a casual outfit for dinner and a movie at Rich’s place. She desperately tried to keep calm during the dinner, but found herself getting increasingly nervous as the night progressed. She helped Rich start cleaning the dishes, then excused herself to the bathroom as Rich finished up in the kitchen and started setting up the movie. She leaned against the door as she shut it behind her. Her eyes dropped and glued to the ground for a few moments before they slowly traveled up to the mirror. She stared at herself, rosy cheeks and desperate eyes. She drew in a long shaky breath and shut her eyes tightly trying to calm down. Meeting her eyes in the mirror again, she thrusted her head high, forcing confidence. She peeled off her cardigan and neatly folded it, placing it gently over the edge of his bathtub. With another deep breath, she pulled her tank top off and folded it too. Next, she slipped out of her skirt. Once undressed, she locked eyes with herself in the mirror. She was wearing the skimpy teddy Rich had given her on Valentine’s Day. It was extremely fitted and hugged her curves uncomfortably tight. She unsuccessfully struggled with the shoulder straps, hoping to cover more of her breasts. They were swelling out of the bodysuit, and while Annie knew that was probably the intended effect, she did her best to conceal herself. Her breathing started picking up as she frantically tousled her hair, trying to make it look wild and sexy. Flipping her head back up to see her results, her eyes widened. Her hair looked less like a flirtatious wild and more like a barbaric wild. Her shoulders slumped forward as she examined herself in the mirror. _Pathetic_ , she thought. She must’ve been staring at herself longer than she thought, as she heard Rich’s voice boom from the living room.  
“Annie, you okay in there?” he asked. She briskly shook her head and then shook the rest of her body, metaphorically shaking off her stress and bringing herself back to reality.  
“Yeah, just one sec,” she replied. With one last look up and down in the mirror, she turned to the door and before she could stop herself, she twisted the knob.  
“Hey, what would ya think about making some popcorn?” Rich suggested, his attention fixed on the TV as he fiddled with the remote. Upon opening his bathroom door, Annie had transformed herself, pushing her worries far down. She stood leaning up against the door frame, one arm draped freely over her head while the other was resting on her hip. Rich’s apartment was dark, the only light came from the TV- which was glowing up Rich’s face- and the bathroom Annie was posing in front of. Rich’s fixation on the TV was slightly discouraging to Annie. Her confidence started fading little by little, wondering if it was too late to hide back in the bathroom and get dressed. But, she gave her head a quick shake in an attempt to shake the worried thoughts invading her mind. She soon realized she had yet to answer Rich. She coughed softly under her breath to clear her throat.  
“How about we… _make love_ instead?” she proposed, her voice much huskier than usual. She blushed immediately, extremely embarrassed by her awfully cheesy line and shocked by her voice’s tone. She fought her embarrassment quickly though and forced herself to settle back into her sensual character. Upon hearing Annie’s unbelievable yet appealing offer, Rich pulled his eyes off the TV and turned to find Annie standing darkly in the doorway, practically nude. Rich’s friendly, wholesome smile faded as he took in her ravishing sight. He eyed her up and down, ogling every feature of her body. He leaned back on his couch, spreading his legs (in what Annie recognized as an ,"obnoxious man-spread," courtesy of Britta's lectures) and chucking with a devious softness.  
“Wow,” he grunted, a smile tugging at his open mouth, “you look… oh, Annie.”  
Annie blushed at his speechlessness, pleased she'd been able to captivate him. She swung herself gently off the door frame and started ambling towards him, her hips swaying with each step. He shifted excitedly in his seat as Annie drew closer. She hovered over one of his legs as he reached out to run his hands up her thighs. She bit her lower lip and winked suggestively. Rich huffed out a shallow breath.  
“You have never looked better,” he whispered, his hands squeezing her hips. Annie felt somewhat thrown off by Rich’s comment. Doubt crawled in the back of her mind. _Has this really been what he's wanted since the beginning?_ she wondered. Her cheeky smile wavered for a moment and her eyes fluttered. Her mind wandered over memories from their relationship. She pushed the doubt aside as Rich pulled down on her hips, his fingers digging into her skin. He brought his leg up as tall as he could, resting his weight on the ball of his foot. Annie was able to straddle his leg comfortably, her knees only slightly bent. Her mouth popped open briefly in shock at the sensation growing between her legs. The sudden contact of her sensitive heat against his leg made her whine with pleasure. She started rocking her hips around, grinding against Rich’s leg, desperate for more pressure. Rich held her hips firmly, keeping her held down and gently guiding her movements. She kept rubbing herself against him, her skin getting hot and flushed. He watched her intensely, his eyes fixed on her face, drinking in her desire. His hands drifted from the curve of her waist and hips down to her ass. He grabbed it roughly, sending her jerking forward with a surprised yelp. Her hands shot out and pushed against his chest to stop herself from falling against him. She bent her elbows, drawing her face closer to his. She kissed his lips gently, but Rich was far too eager for tenderness. His tongue pushed her lips apart as he attacked her mouth. He kissed her vigorously, leaving her breathless. He was overcome with lust. He harshly broke away from her lips, which had become red and swollen from the forceful kisses, and started working on her neck. He sucked hard and even started lightly biting her. His hands were still groping her behind, pushing her closer to him. She leaned into his greedy hands, sitting back so she could take her hands off his chest. Her hands slipped down to Rich’s crotch. She started pulling at his belt with one hand. The palm of her other hand was pressed against his erection, making him grunt in frustration into her neck. He bit her neck even harder, his teeth sinking into her. Annie almost gasped in pain. She stifled her hurt and focused on removing his belt. Her hands kept grazing his bulge. Once she’d undone his belt, Rich pulled away from Annie’s neck, growing impatient with Annie’s teasing. He pulled his belt off rapidly, snapping it to the floor, and unzipped his pants.  
“Get up,” he ordered in a dark, raspy tone. Annie rose to her feet and stepped back so Rich could also stand and take off his pants. Her arousal bloomed inside of her under Rich’s assertive and commanding nature. He pulled his shirt up over his head and threw it violently to the ground. Annie found herself staring at Rich’s powerful, broad torso. He marched over to her and grabbed her hand firmly. He led her into the bedroom, whipping the door shut. She jumped slightly at the booming whack sound as Rich loomed in over her, crowding her against the door. His eyes glared into hers, then brazenly dropped to her breasts which were ready to pop out of the tight lingerie. He pushed his hips against her, groaning in relief as his crotch got the much-needed friction. He brought his mouth to her neck again, leaving a trail of wet kisses. One of his hands slipped down and into the bottom of the body suit. Two fingers plunged inside of her while his thumb worked diligently on her clit. She panted, overwhelmed by all the stimulation. He pushed into her relentlessly, a sense of euphoria rushing to her head with every thrust. She squirmed against the door.  
“Rich,” she cried out, silently pleading that he slow down before she'd lose all control. He pulled his hand away abruptly and stepped back. Annie collapsed slightly, leaning on the door for support as she tried to catch her breath. Rich licked his lips as he stared at her. Her legs had started involuntarily shaking with small vibrations. She looked limp against the door, completely at his mercy.  
“Take that off,” he demanded, “Then, get on the bed.”  
Annie’s eyes felt heavy, as well as her breathing. Slowly, she found the strength in her legs to stand on her own. She stepped away from the door and started wiggling out of the fitted teddy. As she striped, she caught glimpses of red lines on her skin from where the bodysuit had been digging into her body. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized she was completely naked in front of Rich. She fought the urge to cover herself. Britta’s words snuck into her mind. She really did feel vulnerable. She tried to keep her confidence despite her discomfort. She hopped up onto his bed and within seconds, Rich was over top of her. His hands pinned her wrists on either side of her head. He smiled down at her and leaned in to kiss her tenderly on the forehead.  
“You ready?” he asked. Annie swore she forgot how to breathe for a second. She hoped her fear wasn’t showing on her face. She glanced down and saw that sometime between her undressing and Rich getting on the bed, he had gotten nude too. She felt her eyes widen worriedly as she stared at Rich’s raw, hard length. Her face went red. Rich chuckled observing Annie’s reaction. He lowered himself to kiss her, but Annie turned her head snappishly and struggled against Rich’s hands which were restricting her wrists. He pulled back in alarm, a barely noticeable hint of irritation setting in on his face as he subtly tightened his grip on her wrists.  
“Wait, Rich,” she breathed, “do you have a condom?”  
Rich bowed his head in a nod and pulled away to open his bedside table. Annie closed her eyes and tried to regulate her breathing. She brought her hands down and hugged her arms together tightly, reassuring herself. Rich tore open the package and rolled the rubber over his dick. Tossing the wrapper off the bed, he positioned himself over her and pawed at her arms so he could take hold of her wrists once again. He went in for another kiss but Annie turned away again. Rich huffed crossly, unable to keep hiding his irritation.  
“Seriously, Annie? Look, we don’t have to do this if you aren’t ready but could you make up your mind so we don't keep wasting our time with whatever this is?” he grunted. Annie blushed, humiliation taking over. Her heart sank hearing his gruff, agitated impatience. Though his words stung, like getting the air knocked out of her lungs, she wasn't about to back down. She felt like after a month of dating and near sex, she owed him (and herself) follow through.  
“No, it’s okay. We’re going to do this,” she affirmed as though she was trying to convince herself.  
“Just… can we go slow? Please?” she asked earnestly. Her voice softened further as she continued, "Promise you'll be gentle?" Her vulnerability was at an all time high in this moment. She watched his face mellow, but his body was still rigid above her. “And uh, could you maybe let go of my wrists?”  
Rich dipped his head and politely pulled his hands off her arms. Annie sighed in relief. She wanted to rub her wrists to ease them of their pain. Her hands reached up to grab Rich’s broad shoulders.  
“Slow and gentle,” Rich confirmed with a rushed reassurance as he aligned himself. Annie nodded, staring up at the ceiling, her heart beating erratically. “Ready?” he asked again. Annie couldn’t find her voice, so she nodded timidly but surely and braced herself for penetration. He slowly guided himself into her, biting down hard on his lip. He twitched at the sensation, her walls hugging his cock tightly.  
"Oh," she breathed, not sure what she was expecting.  
Annie’s hands squeezed at Rich’s shoulders, her nails digging in ever so slightly as she whimpered beneath him. He felt her tense as he pushed his entire length inside of her. He stayed still for a moment, letting her adjust to the feeling before slowly easing himself out. Annie was already panting.  
“You okay?” Rich checked. Though Annie’s face was twisted in what looked like distress, she nodded. He pushed himself back in, drawing a moan from her parted lips. She clutched his shoulders harder, trying to pull him down closer to her. He sank down and started kissing her powerfully on her lips. She was barely able to kiss back, her breathing too hard and her mind focused on the unfamiliar full sensation between her legs. Rich kept easing himself in and out of her. There was an unmistakable pain blossoming inside of her. Her face was slightly screwed up as she tried to ignore her discomfort but it was getting to be too much.  
"Rich, it hurts," she admitted, her voice strained. Stopping his leisurely thrusts, he looked down at her and saw her upset expression and pained red face. She was breathing loud and fast. A shiver of worry twinged down Rich's spine as she worked her way into a panic.  
"Annie, Annie, hey. Breathe. You're going to hyperventilate," Rich warned, a laugh crawling at the back of his throat. Annie didn't feel like laughing. She felt like crying. Her fingers were digging into Rich's shoulders and her eyes were powerfully shut tight. Rich instructed her to breathe, making his inhalations and exhalations exaggerated so she could hear to breathe along with him. Her grip loosened as well as her scrunched up face.  
"You're too tense. I can feel it. You need to relax or else, yes, it will hurt," Rich explained calmly. She brought her breathing back to normal, but her head still felt a bit loopy from her panic.  
"Hey, that's better," Rich praised, feeling her muscles loosen up around him, "You okay to keep going?"  
Annie fought her urge to tense at the thought. She repeated his words in her head over and over. _Relax, relax, relax._  
"Uh-huh," she nodded, readjusting her hands on his shoulders. He carefully pushed back into her. Despite her efforts to stay calm, she tensed a little as he pushed in. She kept her eyes closed, zeroed in on her breathing and eventually, the pain eased off. She could feel him inside of her but it wasn't agonizingly cramped anymore. She even started to feel pleasure. Rich was happy that Annie had started showing signs of enjoyment. She had started moving in time with his thrusts and was whining out of bliss instead of distress. He lowered himself to suck on her neck, heightening the passion in her bliss.  
“Can we go a bit faster?” he asked. His voice was a low whisper right next to her ear. She shuddered hearing his gravelly voice. He went back to kissing her neck, sending butterflies to Annie’s stomach. She hummed an agreement and felt Rich’s lips curl into a smile against her neck.  
“Okay,” he growled. He started pressing into her with mildly faster, deeper thrusts. He continued sucking on her neck as she started whimpering. She hugged his back, trying to close any space between them. As she got more comfortable, she slowly started rolling her hips in time with Rich’s thrusts. She was so tight around him, she could feel every throb; every pulse of blood rushing through him. There was still a small amount of pain from the intense pressure between her legs. But, she was able to overlook it with all the love melting her brain. Rich’s breathing started picking up. He had to draw his lips away from her neck to try to fight for some air.  
“Fuck,” he groaned through gritted teeth. Annie tensed again upon hearing him curse. She dragged her hands up his back as his hips jerked into her. She brought her hands to his face, which was an inch away from hers. She cupped the sides of his face and looked deeply into his eyes. Just as she was about to drag him down for a kiss, he pulled his face away, towering high above her. Her hands fell on either side of her face. Rich shifted his weight from one arm to the other as he reached out to hold her wrists down against the bed. Without warning, he started fucking her even faster and harder sending her whole body lurching upwards with each thrust. He started grunting madly as he slammed into her. Annie lost her voice. Her jaw hung open but all she could muster was a few weak gasps. Her brow knotted and tensed as the pain started to out weigh the pleasure. Rich’s moans got louder and more aggressive as his eyes pinched shut and his teeth clenched. Annie started shifting delicately beneath him, trying to fight the discomfort. Rich’s grip tightened on her wrists as he felt her writhing around under him. Her hips swayed, adjusting her position until she found the sweet spot. The aching between her legs was no longer painful, but satisfying. Rich kept pounding into her relentlessly as Annie started panting. She started releasing delighted moans of bliss and fulfillment. Rich’s eyes squinted open to look down at her. Her eyes were shut tightly and her mouth was parted, her lips trembling ever so slightly. He could tell she was near climax. He eased up on her wrists and brought one hand down to massage her clit as he continued pushing himself deep inside her. She couldn’t help but shriek out in pleasure when Rich started rubbing her where she was itching for it. Her arms, now free, reached up and clung to Rich’s back, her nails digging in enough to leave scratch marks. Rich felt Annie’s walls tighten around him as her head tossed back. He kept pressing into her as her orgasm peaked. Her legs started shaking uncontrollably. Watching her body be overcome with rapture was enough to send Rich over the edge. He thrusted into her a few final times with aggressive groans before collapsing on top of her. He was barely able to hold himself up as his whole body pulsed, ecstasy shooting towards his brain. Annie laid still, Rich’s sweaty body crushing her into the mattress. The two stayed that way for a while as they tried to catch their breaths. Rich slowly brought himself up, pulling out of her. She hummed weakly one last time. Though her body was numb and flickering with total elation, she was still sensitive enough to feel him pull out. Panting, Rich flopped down beside her. He reached down and then discarded the used condom in a bin by his bedside table. His head flopped down and he sighed.  
“Annie?” he asked, his voice rough. Annie was starting to come back down from her high. She was blinking slowly as her breathing regulated.  
“Mhm?” she purred back. Rich turned his head to face her, prompting Annie to do the same. Her eyes took in his face with nothing short of love and appreciation. Her eyes darted briefly down as she quickly realized they were both still completely nude. She fought the illogical urge to cover herself. After everything they’d just done, whether she was clothed or not had little importance. Yet she still blushed as Rich’s eyes devoured her naked body.  
“You okay?” Rich wondered, his eyes meeting hers. She smiled softly and nodded, turning her whole body to face him. He beamed and turned his head back up to the ceiling. She studied the rise and fall of his chest as he started drifting off. She slowly started inching her way towards him, desperate for post-coital affection. She tentatively reached out her arm and draped it lazily over his hot chest. Rich didn’t open his eyes, but he responded to Annie’s advances, wrapping an arm underneath her and then around her back, pushing her up against his side. She let one of her legs intertwine with his as his hand moved up her back to stroke her hair lovingly. Her head rested in the crook of his arm, nearly perching on his ribs. She closed her eyes, and breathed in his scent. _Is this what love smells like,_ she pondered, aware her thoughts were drunkenly poetic and realistically, "love" had no smell. She nuzzled his warmth as she fell asleep to the sound of his heart beat.

The next day, Annie followed Rich around like a puppy. She cursed herself for being so tragically cliche, but ever since she had given herself to him, there was a definite shift in their relationship. Though her trust and respect for him was already dangerously high before introducing sex, afterwards, her heart beat grew to be even stronger for him. She was completely enamored with him. Rich, having been in many relationships didn't feel as though the shift was quite as significant. He saw the changes in Annie however. He tried not to laugh at her infatuated attachment to him but her eager efforts to prove her love for him was just too priceless. She held his hand while they walked into school; something she'd been too embarrassed to do before. In anthropology, she kept leaning her head against him and playfully skimming her hand across his leg. Rich reciprocated her affection, rubbing his hand on her thigh and kissing her softly on her head.

Others had noticed the shift in their relationship, too. Namely, Jeff.  
Ever since Rich had joined anthropology, Jeff refused to sit next to Annie. He knew if he were to sit next to her, he'd have to listen as Rich charmed everyone with agonizingly sweet stories. Troy and Abed were off the table as desk mates as well. The two are inseparable and Jeff had no interest in being a third wheel to their perfectly crafted bike. Besides, their conversation typically bored Jeff. While he cherished and was amused by their childlike lifestyle, partaking in it was out of the question. Sitting next to Britta meant an hour of her analyzing him. With her concerning budding interest in psychology, (which was perhaps influenced by Ian Duncan as Jeff had started speculating) Britta had gotten too personal with him a few times. Deflecting her probing questions got tiresome after 5 minutes. Sitting with Shirley equated to an hour of, "that's nice," and Jeff simply didn't have the patience to deal with her mood swings. Depending on how Jeff phrased things, he could go from a toxically sweet treatment to a bitter crash down, complete with guilt trips and an oddly enraged disappointment. Either way, Britta and Shirley would often happily sit together... arguing. Jeff definitely didn't want to get roped into their rivalries, so he kept his distance from them too. That left Pierce. Jeff would _never_ sit with Pierce. He drove him crazy. Deep down, as Britta had once pointed out, Jeff didn't like Pierce because he was scared his future would be becoming Pierce; an unfulfilled, lonely old man who was trying to latch on to some sort of family or routine for comfort. Whatever Jeff's true reasoning, he refused to sit with Pierce. This often left him to sit alone in the back on his phone. He was quite content with this. But, that particular morning, Shirley shuffled over and took a seat beside him.  
"Good morning, Jeffery," she chimed, "Brit-ta's helping her brother with something and won't be in class today. I hope you'll let me sit with you?" Jeff knew he couldn't refuse, seeing as she was already sitting and she was so hopeful to sit with him. He'd feel bad shooing her away. He forced himself to swallow his selfish desires of sitting alone and being unbothered. He nodded with a tight grin.  
"Which brother?" Abed asked, nosily listening in from across the room. Shirley's smile dropped as she shrugged, shaking her head, indifferent to Abed's curiosity. He turned away, displeased by Shirley's unhelpful insights.  
"Jeez, will they ever stop touching each other," Jeff grumbled under his breath. He was desperately trying to keep his attention on his phone but his gaze snapped up to the couple in front of him every time they giggled. He watched bitterly, as each time Rich's hand patted Annie's knee, it would slip to caress between her legs, inching up each time. He found himself holding his breath as Rich's desirous fingers almost slid up her skirt. Shirley turned her attention to the couple as well, making a disgusted "ick." She gave her head a disapproving shake and a pit formed in her stomach. She had a feeling Jeff's complaints were coming from a place of jealousy... and she was about to exploit that. Though she'd tried fiercely to stop gossiping, this moment just seemed too perfect. Ever since she was humiliated in front of her friends by Pierce exposing her night with Ben Chang, she secretly wished one of the other members of the study group would have an embarrassing slip up to make hers seem like nothing. However, everything that'd happened since then just didn't seem like enough. Deep down she knew none of her friends cared about her mistake, and they loved her in spite of her flaws, a dark spot on her soul longed for her friends to be _slightly_ more flawed than her. She hadn't felt that kind of superiority in ages. And now, she decided to stir the pot; targeting Rich and Annie in hopes of spiking Jeff's jealousy.  
"Mm, that Rich fellow isn't quite as polished as he seems," she started, already catching Jeff's interest. He turned to her, trying not to let his intrigue show.  
"You have dirt on Dr. Do-Good?" he asked in disbelief. Shirley shrugged, forcing Jeff to admit his longing for gossip.  
"Oh, come on, Shirley. Spill. You know I hate the guy, I need to know my hate's validated," he argued. Shirley didn't let up.  
" _Shirley,_ " Jeff goaded. He looked at her with pleading eyes and she knew that was the closest she'd get. She paused, trying to spice up her words for a strong effect on Jeff. She opened her mouth to speak, but then her heart sank. The angel on her shoulder killed the devil. She didn't really want to make Jeff have another outburst and embarrass Rich and Annie by discussing their intimate life. She wondered if the damage had already been done as she glanced at Jeff's poorly hidden desperation. She sighed, giving in.  
"That magnetic MD gave our little Annie _x-rated_ attire... you know... for the bedroom?" she whispered, her eyebrows jumping up. While there was a clear discomfort on Jeff's face, Shirley was surprised to see his acceptance take the place of his curiosity.  
"And?" he prompted, wondering if there was more to Shirley's displeasure with Rich.  
"Oh, Lord. That's all! But the man's a filthy pervert," she said shaking her head. Jeff smirked.  
"Shirley, I don't think it's perverted if he gave Annie lingerie. They're dating," he explained. Shirley held her tongue. She knew this information would bother Jeff so much more if he knew Annie wasn't ready for intimacy when Rich gave her the the sexy gift. What Shirley didn't know, was that the information she'd shared _had_ bothered Jeff. Even with his focus drawn back to his phone, he was now even more aware of the way Rich touched her. He found himself glaring ahead as Rich placed a kiss on the side of her head, just above her ear. He scowled as Rich's face lingered, discreetly taking in the soft aroma of Annie's hair as his hand delicately rubbed her thigh.  
_Filthy pervert._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are going to start picking up in the next chapter. I'm both extremely nervous and excited.


	9. Intro to Political Science

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is very angsty. It takes place during and after the episode. Warning readers for strong language, mild physical and emotional abuse and suicide threats. Here we go...

“We’re electing a student president,” Annie reiterated, thrilled by the thought, “I wanna run! I have _so_ many ideas for improving the school.” She started bouncing excitedly in her seat, folding her arms formally on the table. Shirley grinned at her, enthused by her childlike eagerness.  
“Improving Greendale takes more than ideas, Annie. It takes time, gasoline, matches,” Jeff shot back. Britta snorted at Jeff’s wit. Abed applauded him as well, scoring a mark on the side of the table.  
“Well, news flash, Jeff. Some of us care about more than just fixing our hair and sculpting our abs,” Annie jabbed, showing little patience for Jeff’s cynicism.  
“Wow, you got me pegged,” Jeff retorted... but she did. Jeff had been hitting the gym extra hard recently, working out at home too. He had hit an all-time low in his self-esteem. Deep down, he knew he had issues to confront, but it’s less scary to cover said issues in hair gel and protein powder than to actually face them. He subtly scored a notch into the side of the table. It was a counter for how many times his abs were mentioned. He liked to know his hard work wasn’t going unnoticed. If he was going to run from his problems, he wanted the outcome to be recognized.  
“Democracy,” Britta scoffed, “whatta ruse. There’s no such thing as a system in which the masses hold any genuine-“ before she could finish, Jeff threw his head back and shouted to the ceiling.  
“Everyone wants you to shut up.”  
“And yet I won’t. Case in point,” she countered, her arms crossed strongly over her chest. Whether or not she had made a point was irrelevant, because none of her friends seemed to care what she had to say... besides Troy, who laughed to himself and scored something on the table.

Later on, in the cafeteria, the candidates were lining up to announce their running. Jeff was playing pool nearby when he spotted Annie scurrying into line behind Leonard. He discreetly fixed his eyes on her. She stood in line with great purpose. Though she was pursuing a fruitless goal, she had a gentle yet eager smile plastered on her face and her chest was puffed out with a nervous confidence. She fidgeted in line, her energy charming Jeff while also irritating him at the same time.  
“You seriously going through with this?” he asked snootily. Annie’s smile faded as she turned to face Jeff. He was leaned over the pool table, lining himself up to take a shot. She gazed at his face, searching for an ounce of interest or support. Her heart broke when she found none. Usually, Jeff was resistant to many things (if not everything), but he’d always come around if he knew whatever it was had value or importance to one of his friends.  
“Why not? I wanna make this school a better place. I don’t see any harm in doing that,” she explained calmly. Jeff knocked his cue forward, striking the white cue ball into a red one that rolled right into one of the pockets. He stood up and smirked at the table, pleased with his work. Letting the other player take her shot, he turned his attention back to Annie.  
“Greendale can’t be improved, Annie. Not by you, anyway. That’s like saying, ‘Oh, Hell’s gonna be _so_ much nicer once we spruce it up with some hippie posters and decorative throw pillows’,” Jeff said. Annie’s eyes saddened for a second and then hardened at his harshness. She hugged her fliers close to her chest, trying not to pout.  
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Jeff,” she snapped, scowling at him with great hurt. Jeff rolled his eyes, irked by her sensitivity, though some part of him felt bad for knocking her down.  
“Oh, come on. That’s not what I meant. If anyone wants to make any real, lasting and effectual changes to this school, they’d need funds, the ability to hire and fire and-“ his reasoning was cut short as Rich sauntered in from behind.  
“Annie!” he called sweetly, sending sharp nerves through Jeff’s spine. With how low he had been feeling about himself, the last person he wanted to see was Mr. Perfect himself. Annie spun joyfully to meet him.  
“Hey, you,” she gushed, opening her arms to accept a hug. Jeff’s eyes stayed fixed jealously on the couple as Rich’s arms swallowed Annie up. He watched with growing intensity as Rich’s hands slowly rubbed her back. Even as they pulled apart, his hands remained gripping her waist. Jeff’s opponent gave him a gentle nudge on the arm.  
“Your turn, man.”  
Jeff nodded and tried to pull his eyes away. As he focused in on a strategic shot, his ears strained to listen in on Rich and Annie’s conversation.  
“Did you hang up the campaign fliers I gave you?” she asked.  
“Every last one!” Rich replied keenly, “Now listen, I don’t wanna offend any of the other candidates, but I think you’ve already claimed victory.” Annie blushed and giggled at Rich’s sweet words. Jeff held back an eye roll as he thrusted his cue forward. He totally butchered the shot. He pursed his lips, disappointed and embarrassed by his mess up. He didn’t dwell on his mistake for long though, as his eyes settled back on Rich and Annie. He watched as Rich leaned in and Annie stood tall. He kept watching as Rich tipped her chin up with a tender finger, tilting his face to bring it in to contact with hers. Jeff had to turn away. He brought his focus back to the game and listened halfheartedly as Rich broke their kiss to praise her. Annie kept insisting she was no better than the rest of the candidates. The three of them knew that wasn’t true. The Dean called for the next person. Annie. She pulled away from Rich and jogged up the steps. Rich paced over to Jeff who had turned to watch Annie on the stage.  
“Hey, Jeffery,” Rich smiled, “you running?” Before Jeff could think of a snarky response, Rich kept talking, “Y’know, I’d like to run, but I just don’t have the time for such extra-curriculars with all the new patients I’ve taken on. But, I’m glad Annie will get to enjoy the campaign. Plus, doesn’t look like her competition’s too hard. Politics… a careful science and an impressive art. I’ve got no doubts in her, though.” Spurred on by Rich’s words, he felt the urgent need to accomplish _something_. Rich’s subtle brag of his thriving medical career got to him. Jeff pushed his pool cue into Rich’s chest, giving Rich a small shove in the process.  
“Hold this? I’ve actually got somewhere to be,” he said as he jogged towards the stage. When the Dean announced him, Annie spun around to face the stage in surprise.  
“My name is Jeff. I’m no politician. I’m just a fella,” he started. He noticed Annie frowning at him, her lips parted in a mild confusion. He continued, “I think that beer should be cold and boots should be dusty. I think 9/11 was bad. And freedom? Well, I think that’s just a little bit better.”  
He smirked cockily at the audience as booming support flooded his ears. Everyone was clapping. Everyone but Annie, who was staring at him in disbelief. Her eyes started fluttering. After he had just berated her for caring about the school’s election, he was running. It wouldn’t bother her so much if he hadn’t just mocked her. It wouldn’t bother her so much if his running wasn’t coming from a place of spite. But she could tell by his harsh eyes and devious grin that he didn’t care about the school or the election. She knew he was just doing this to prove something to someone. What? She didn’t know, but his running hurt her all the same. Then, he pointed a finger gun directly at her sour face, making her whole body overflow with annoyance.

Annie spent the day walking around campus, handing out her fliers, and putting in a good word for herself. Rich helped her, working the other side of the school. They met up in the cafeteria right before the debate was about to start.  
“Hey, bad news, I’m gonna have to head to my office; emergency consult,” Rich told her. Annie’s eyebrows dropped sadly as she looked at him.  
“But, that means you’re going to miss the debate,” she whimpered dejectedly. She pouted to herself as Rich’s big hands grabbed her shoulders. He gave her a gentle shake, but he was stronger than he thought. He accidentally sent her head jerking around a bit. She looked up, startled.  
“Hey,” he started, gazing seriously into her eyes, “you don’t need me there. You can do this all on your own. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Annie nodded and drew him in for one last hug. He planted a kiss on her head and patted her hair. Jeff watched from the vending machines. He was barely listening to Britta as she droned on about her political opinions. Jeff had started the conversation with more interjections that had sent Britta talking in hypocritical circles. But, he got bored of her conflicting arguments and was more consumed by the mushy show of affection put on by Rich and Annie. As he kissed her head, Jeff rolled his eyes. _Oh, brother,_ he thought sourly. A fire sparked inside of him. He wanted to win now more than ever. Annie smiled warmly at Rich before leaving to get on the stage.

She got to her podium and started reviewing key points in her head. Soon, the other candidates found their spots. In true to form fashion, the last to come on was Jeff. He had the podium beside Annie. She met him with a friendly smile and a firm handshake. But, when she saw the smug glare in his eyes, her smile morphed to copy his; arrogant and condescending.  
“Jeff,” she started sweetly, “knock it off. You’re not running sincerely. You’re not even interested in student government.” Her mind flashed over memories of him by the pool table, sneering at her.  
“I know,” he smiled back, “and yet, the people love me. It’s almost as if politics were a huge joke!” She hummed, trying not to let her irritation show.  
“Well, if you think it’s a joke, why are you here?” Though her question was serious, she let out a phony laugh. Jeff considered quipping back, something about how jokes are usually funny, so he’d wanna stick around for the pay off of the punchline. But instead, he answered more honestly, though his words still packed a bite.  
“Truth be told, I need a win… and I see no easier way to get a win than with this election. See, I have something all the other candidates don’t; competency and common sense.” Annie’s smile faded as she realized Jeff may be real competition.  
“Well, Rich told me I got this in the bag, and I hold my bags _very_ tightly. So, good luck trying to steal that win from me,” she turned to face the crowd, waving at the audience with ambitious, kind eyes. Jeff frowned at Annie’s words, slightly thrown by her self-assurance. He leaned back slightly and rolled his eyes.  
“Oh, Rich told you that, did he? Well, guess we should call off the whole election, then. I mean, hey, great, your 38-year-old boyfriend believes in you! I’m sure that has nothing to do with the fact that you’re dating, and has _everything_ to do with your great political prowess.”  
A sudden wince of hurt flashed upon Annie’s face. She stopped waving and stared down at her podium for a moment, playing with her fingers. Jeff almost felt bad when he saw his words cut a bit too deep. But, she raised her head back up and started smiling at the audience again. The playful gleam in her face was gone though, replaced by shot confidence.  
“Good luck, Jeff,” she replied sincerely. Jeff’s heart ached at the lack of sarcasm in her voice. He couldn’t reciprocate her genuineness, but he didn’t want to push her down anymore. So, he remained silent and turned his attention to the crowd.

Thankfully, Annie had pushed through the first part of the debate with put-on confidence. Whether it was fake or not, didn’t matter to Jeff. As long as she wasn’t shaken too much, he could continue to fight fiercely in the debate. Well, not really fiercely. He easily came up with rebuttals to drag Annie down. Part of him felt bad for going after her so relentlessly, but another part of him loved watching her flounder. He was giving her a run for her money. He wanted this win, so he was going to get it. Coming back from a quick break, he watched Annie strut back on stage with renewed cockiness. Jeff grinned at her, ready to keep arguing.  
“Aww, feeling a bit better, sweetie?” he sneered. He knew how she loathed pet names. They made her feel insignificant, inferior and belittled because of her young age. He choked back an evil smile as he watched her face flush red, clearly agitated by Jeff’s patronizing tone. She just smiled at him, trying to match his big-headed attitude.  
“People are pretty excited about this black mold issue,” she explained, hoping her platform was strong enough to win.  
“We’ll see. For my closing statement, I’m thinking about smashing a watermelon with a hammer,” he proposed sarcastically. Though, in reality, he knew he could do just that and still win. He had the crowd wrapped around his finger.  
“Jeff, if I admit politics are stupid, will you stop _making_ them stupid? You’re gonna split the vote and Star-Burns is gonna end up president. I’m the only one up here who’s trying to get something done,” she said.  
“And you _deserve_ to be allowed to do it? You’re _entitled_ to be president?” he asked disdainfully. He glared down at her, crowding her slightly. His attempt to fluster her seemed to fail though. She looked back up at him, right into his eyes, challenging him.  
“The gloves are coming off. Y’understand me? I have an audio-visual presentation,” she said, squinting her eyes at his self-righteous expression.  
“Wow, I’m shaking,” he teased.  
“You should be. _You should be_ ,” she whispered threateningly under her breath. Jeff smiled, content that his words hadn’t hurt her too much as her confidence was coming back. That being said, he was ready to crush her.

After Star-Burns dropped out of the race, revealing his illegal side business, Jeff posed a question to the others.  
“What’s your favorite colour?” he asked. Before the others could get a word in, he made sure to spit out the cheesiest, yet most effective, answer, “Mine’s a three-way tie; red, white, and blue.”  
His response prompted cheering from the audience. Annie shot him an irritated glare. She knew what her next move had to be.  
“Magnitude, response?” Dean Pelton asked. Magnitude smiled slyly at him.  
“I think you know, Dean.” The whole audience followed along as he threw out his signature catchphrase. He got even more cheers than Jeff’s words. As the audience calmed down from their laughter, the Dean applauded himself under his breath for inciting the fun. Annie raised her hand, and the Dean gave her the go ahead.  
“I have an audio-visual presentation, dean,” she declared. Jeff’s sarcastic smile faltered into something genuine for a brief moment. He found her serious approach to a community college student body election delightful.  
“Oh, that sounds interesting. What’s your presentation, Annie?” Dean Pelton asked with earnest curiosity.  
“My presentation is a copy of Jeff Winger’s 1997 audition tape for MTV’s _The Real World_ ,” she replied, smiling artfully at the crowd.  
“What?” Jeff laughed in confusion. He then repeated himself with grave worry. If Annie knew he had auditioned, surely that meant she really did have the tape. She glanced at him, relishing in his panic, the tables finally turned.  
“Let’s just roll it, thanks,” she asked. Jeff looked on in hopeless horror as his audition tape played in front of the whole school. His heart started pounding in his chest. The audience laughed mercilessly at the video of him shaking his ass. His jumpy singing voice and leather jacket made him want to curl up and die.  
“Where the hell did you get that?” Jeff whispered at Annie, leaning into her, scanning her face for any remorse. She just turned away to address the audience.  
“Folks, who do you want shaking Joe Biden’s hand at 5 p.m.? Me?” she asked placing an honest hand to her heart, “Or…” she then gestured up at the screen that showcased Jeff’s stiff dancing.  
“Shut up! I was like 19!” Jeff yelled, partly to the audience and their laughter, and partly to Annie’s hard expression. He glared at her, malice burning through his eyes, with strong disappointment in her petty moves.  
“We’ve all been 19, Jeff. And none of us did this. _None_ of us,” she rebuked. Jeff’s face was stuck in a pained wince as he stared in astonishment. It felt as though the world was crumbling around him. He had been struggling with his self-esteem, and having the entire school laugh at him wasn’t exactly helping. Waves of anxiety crashed over his head, his ears became numb to the laughter as his heart drowned in humiliation. He ran in the election with hopes of improving his self-worth. With everyone mocking him, he fell even lower. This made his heart ache indescribably so.  
“Pop, pop,” Annie teased, imitating a gun shot with the remote. He briskly shoved his hurt underneath layers of anger and aggression.  
“I hate you,” he snapped at Annie, “I hate this school… and I hope you all get black mold poisoning.”  
“Oh, Jeffery, no!” Dean Pelton shouted, appalled by Jeff’s outburst.  
Annie was too busy drinking in everyone’s reactions to hear Jeff’s cries. She smiled at the audience, every single person in the crowd was laughing. She felt a brush of air push past her. She turned her attention to find Jeff storming off while mumbling, “I hate you!” over and over again. Her face fell. It wasn’t a game anymore. She no longer wanted to fight for dominance over him and belittle him as he had done to her. She felt awful as regret and guilt flooded through her arteries and veins; every heartbeat spread the feeling. Though the tape had finished playing behind her, the laughter and whispers of the crowd persisted. Her ears were suffocated with insults and quips making fun of her friend. She felt her breathing pick up as the situation spiraled. People started imitating Jeff; playing air guitars and quoting his lyrics.  
“I-“ she started weakly, her voice getting caught in her throat. She coughed into the microphone, in an attempt to sober up the crowd, but their laughter roared on. She sucked on her bottom lip, unsure how to continue.  
“I’d like to withdraw my candidacy, for uh… uncivil political practices,” she stammered before rushing off stage. She wasn’t sure if anyone was listening, or if they cared. She didn’t, not anymore.

Annie searched the campus trying to find Jeff. She wearily opened the door to a storage room.  
“Are you in here?” she asked, leaning in the room. She spotted his legs poking out from behind a pile of boxes, canisters and a rolling chalk board. Her heart broke at the sight. _What have I done,_ she thought.  
“Yeah, to be alone,” he replied from the ground, “already established the men’s room doesn’t work.” This made them both think back to their heated conversation in the bathroom the night Annie started going out with Rich. For Annie, that night was something to be cherished. For Jeff, he wished he could erase all memories from that night. He tried hard to dismiss his hurt and jealousy. Annie started walking into the room slowly, trying to be passive, as to not hurt him anymore.  
“You have an apartment,” she suggested meekly.  
“There are people in the parking lot singing that song,” he wined, forcing Annie to sit in her guilt. She stood by his legs, looking down at his self-pitying stance.  
“I went too far,” she apologized as he hauled himself up, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it would be that bad.” She forced a friendly smile, but her eyebrows were knotted together with concern and her eyes locked with his regretfully.  
“You knew,” Jeff tossed, calmed down from before, “You didn’t care.”  
Annie shook her head in a weak attempt to refute his claims.  
“But don’t apologize. I got what I deserved. I am a gross, jaded adult with control issues that couldn’t let a young, bright, idealistic kid run for president.”  
Annie smiled quietly, blushing at his kind words. Jeff leaned against the tower of boxes, unwilling to face her as he continued.  
“I was only running because I needed a win. I didn’t care about the school’s future like you did… and I probably never will care. I’ve just been feeling so unfulfilled. I used to be someone, Annie. I look at my life now and feel the crushing weight of failure. Hard to like yourself when you’re haunted with the notion that you’ve already peaked, and life is all downhill from that point… which wasn’t even that great to begin with. I was a sleazy lawyer with no real friends and no respect for myself or others.”  
Annie’s face fell with sorrow, slightly shocked by his honesty. Jeff was rarely so vulnerable. Annie knew she had to build him up and comfort him.  
“But, Jeff, it’s not failure. It’s not downhill either. So, your life didn’t follow its original plan. Believe me, mine didn’t either,” a moment of quiet reflection fell on the two as they thought about their original plans. Jeff saw himself still practicing. He was winning countless cases and earning the 'appreciation' of many troubled women he’d helped in the process. Annie saw herself at her dream school. She had wowed her professors and classmates and was gliding easily to a bright future in the medical industry. She shook her head as she slumped back into their reality. After _living_ the reality, her heart glowed warmly. She used to long for what her life could have been.  
“Isn’t this better?” she asked. Jeff glanced at her with crushing doubt, “You say you’ve already peaked, and things are just gonna get worse, but they’re getting better,” she added with an encouraging nod. She reached out and tugged on his arm, prompting his eyes to fix on hers.  
“Since you’ve come here, you’ve made real friends. And whether you like it or not, you’re learning how to care for people,” she started rubbing his arm comfortingly. Jeff shook his head, rejecting her compassion and ignoring the sensation of her loving hand on his arm.  
“Am I? I teased you to the point of near tears, making fun of you for caring about student government, only to switch up and start running myself so I could get a pat on the back.”  
“Caught up in the competition,” Annie said, excusing his actions from before, “it happened to me too. I guess that’s why I brought out the video. You kind of humiliated me and this was just my petty attempt to get back at you... guess it worked better than I thought. You always seem so unbothered. Nothing gets to you I- I didn’t know I could really bring you down to this extent.”  
“Please,” Jeff scoffed, “ _everything_ gets to me. That’s why I did this. Rich was talking to me about how busy he was with work and I just got the urge to _do_ something. I’m easily shaken. I try not to let that show, but it’s just the truth. I make fun of you for being sensitive when really I’m just the same.”  
Annie’s heart ached for him. She wished she could tell him how much value he had. But as she opened her mouth, Troy raced up to the door, stealing her chance to build him up.  
“You guys, you’re missing it,” he panted.  
“Troy, I’m out,” Jeff stated. Annie nodded.  
“Me too, I withdrew my candidacy,” she turned to Jeff who was scowling in confusion, “Nobody that treats a friend the way that I did is fit to represent the student body.” Jeff stared at her. Annie looked back to Troy but Jeff couldn’t take his eyes of her. His admiration for her nobility grew and grew. He was marveling at her inner beauty… maybe outer too.  
“Uh, yeah, I know you’re both out. I’m saying you’re _missing_ it. It’s the political showdown of the century. Come on,” with that, he smiled gleefully and raced back to the cafeteria. Annie smiled watching Troy run with childlike excitement. She looked as though she was about to follow him out, but Jeff’s hand settled awkwardly on her shoulder prompting her to stay. He pulled his hand back as she turned to him.  
“You should’ve stayed in the running,” he said, “You’re the only real candidate.”  
“No,” Annie scoffed, “I might have cared in the beginning but, I became more focused on trying to get back at you as the race went on,” she paused, “I care what you think about me, you know? And today, you just made it seem like you saw me as a joke, taking myself too seriously.”  
“Yeah, well, I care what you think about me. That’s why I ran. I needed positive attention from others. If I won, I figured people would see I’ve still got it.”  
“Of course, you still ‘got it!’ I wish you could see yourself the way we do, Jeff. You’re not a failure.” A dismal silence fell between them.  
“Are we good?” Annie asked, staring hopefully up at him with wide eyes. His heart melted as he beat himself up for ever hurting her. He almost felt worse about himself than ever before. But, he refused to let his insecurity show as he smirked softly at her.  
“Yeah,” he said gently. Her eyes squinted shut as she smiled brightly, stepping into him. Her arms slipped around his waist and she rested her hands on his back. Jeff leaned in and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her tightly against him. Something about their embrace felt wrong to him. He felt shame cloud his head as he subtly drank in her scent. She smelled faintly of patchouli and vanilla. Guilt pricked his skin as she nestled the side of her face into his chest. Despite the self-disgust that grew inside of him, he pressed her closer, wanting nothing but to hold her.  
“When we seek to destroy others, we often hurt ourself because it is the self that wants to be destroyed,” Pierce chimed in from the hallway. The two broke apart from their hug, to see him holding himself up in the doorway.  
“Pierce,” Jeff started with surprise, “you’re not usually so poignant.”  
“Well,” their old friend said, “Vicki finally lent me her pencil.” He turned to face Jeff and Annie. Annie jumped in horror as she ogled the pencil sticking out of Pierce’s cheek.  
“Oh my God, _Pierce!_ Go to the health center,” she shrieked. Pierce nodded and mumbled an agreement before stumbling down the hall. Jeff laughed after Pierce had left their sight. Annie shook her head and gave Jeff a quick smack on the arm. He smiled at her and she gave a resistant smile back, acknowledging the comedy of Pierce’s pitiful situation. They stayed frozen in time, looking at one another for a while. Annie’s smile faded as she picked up on an unmistakable longing look in his eyes. Though Jeff had being fighting to hide it, it pronounced itself, creating an awkward tension between them. She looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. There were words hanging in the air, but Annie couldn’t react to them until Jeff said them. Jeff had to look away from Annie’s flushed face and needy eyes. Once Annie accepted that Jeff’s vulnerability had reached its daily cap, she coughed and looked down, breaking the loud silence.  
“We should probably get going,” she suggested, her voice betraying her as it squeaked higher than usual.  
“Yeah, I’m dying to know who the face of our school will be,” he mumbled sarcastically. He couldn’t care less about the outcome of the election, but he worried if he was left alone any longer with Annie, he’d say something tragically corny (but honest). So, they left for the cafeteria.

They stood at the back while the rest of the crowd started filing out. Jeff turned to her, about to speak when her phone went off. She reached for it and opened the message. Jeff couldn’t help but read it over her shoulder.  
Rich: _Gonna be later than expected. Might be better if we just stay in tonight? I’m sure we can find something else to do ;)_  
Jeff choked back a disgusted groan. He wished he hadn’t read the message.  
“Oh,” Annie sighed, seeming let down. Jeff coughed to find his voice.  
“Everything okay?” he asked, pretending he hadn’t read the message.  
“Yeah,” she said, shaking her head, “I just took a ride from Rich to school today and he’s at work. Says he might be stuck there a while. So, that means I’m kind of stuck here.” Jeff swallowed hard as realization set in on him. He could stay at school with her to keep her company, or he could offer her a ride home, or he could leave her to figure it out herself, or… no matter what he decided, he’d either be a jackass, unwilling to help, or alone with Annie. He knew he had to be the next to speak, but his mind was too frantic to make a rational decision.  
“It’s fine, I’ve got some studying to do, anyway,” Annie concluded after Jeff’s unhelpful silence.  
“We-ah I could, I could stay with you? So you don’t have to wait alone?” Jeff stammered. He then decided to force the decision on Annie, “Or I could give you a ride home? You can work in the comfort of your own apartment.” Annie froze, her mouth hung open at Jeff’s offers. She loathed the idea of being alone with him. She knew it would be awkward and her heart couldn’t take that stress.  
“Oh, well… I’m fine with anything, really. I don’t wanna hold you up, I’m sure you’ve got more important things to do.”  
“No, no, what’s more important than helping a friend.” They both cringed at the silence that followed, but knew there was no backing out now.

Jeff ended up staying with Annie at the school. They sat in study room F in their usual spots, the one chair creating a safe, respectable distance between them. They engaged in mild small talk, laughing about _South Park_ ’s win. Whenever the conversation fizzled out, they both busied themselves to try to cut down on the tension between them. Jeff tapped aimlessly on his phone while Annie shoved her face into her textbook, scrawling notes on her paper. The hours passed by, yes, hours. It started getting dark outside and Jeff kept peering over his phone at Annie, whose head was falling closer to her book. He noticed the rise and fall of her shoulders had become slow, steady and peaceful. Her head was bowed too much so he couldn’t meet her eyes but he had a feeling they were drifting shut. There were a few other students left in the school, but primarily janitorial staff and teachers remained. More and more people left and the whole school was silent. He started looking at Annie more frequently, charmed by her simple serenity. Her arm limply held up her head. He smiled purely at her. He had had this dream before; him and her all alone in the study room. Though, his dream was a lot raunchier and more lustful and it left him sweaty and worked up when he awoke. He almost preferred the reality; calm and sweet. It itched a domestic desire of his he tried hard to repress. He was full on staring at her now, capturing every aspect of hers under affectionate eyes. He didn’t notice when Rich peered in at them and walked towards the table. As he stood by Pierce’s usual chair, Jeff glanced up at him, surprised by his presence. Rich was smiling at Jeff but there was a certain level of poorly disguised unfriendliness to it. Had he caught Jeff ogling Annie? Jeff just nodded towards her, inciting Rich to look at his girlfriend, slumped over her textbook and notebook. Rich’s smile lost its cold edge and softened as he crept towards her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving it a warmhearted rub. But, his hand jerked back quickly when Annie reacted.  
“NO!” she cried out, straining her tired vocal cords. She shoved her body away from Rich, tipping her chair to the side. She fell ungracefully to the floor with a thump. Jeff shrunk back in his chair, alarmed by her reaction. Annie scrambled frantically on the ground, trying to untangle her legs from the chair and hold herself up with her arms. Her wild eyes relaxed slightly and she stopped thrashing around when she looked up to see Rich staring down at her with great concern. She turned to find Jeff, looking at her with equal worry, though a smile tugged at his lips. Annie brought a weak hand to the back of her head where it had smacked the ground. Her face burned red with embarrassment and her mouth stayed parted, unsure how to explain herself.  
“Annie?” Rich questioned apprehensively. She froze and just stared back at him. The two men waited for a response from the distressed girl. She rubbed her head. Her skull was pounding.  
“Ow,” she moped, pouting slightly. Rich extended a hand to her as he approached, turning the chair back upright. She grabbed his arm and heaved herself up. Rich turned her around to examine the back of her head. Jeff watched on, staring at the two while Rich’s hands worked through her hair. Annie shivered as Rich’s breath danced along her neck. She looked outside the study room, ignoring Jeff. Jeff crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, trying not to laugh at her extreme outburst.  
“Your head looks fine, no damage there,” he gripped her arm softly and looked at the torn skin on her elbow, “some rug burn here. Not deadly, but still painful,” Rich concluded, nodding at Jeff. Jeff raised his eyebrows in a disinterested agreement.  
“So, should we head out? We could just order in some dinner?” Rich asked Annie. She turned her head and nodded at Rich.  
“Yeah sounds good,” she turned her attention back to Jeff who was rising from his seat, trying to slip out without another word, “Hey, Jeff,” she called out. He turned briefly as he made his way to the door. “Thanks for staying with me,” she acknowledged sweetly. Jeff smiled tightly, his eyes bouncing between her and Rich, whose arm was wrapped possessively around her waist.  
“See ya ‘round, Annie,” he tossed listlessly as he walked out the door. Annie watched him leave, her smile fading. He had an indescribable energy to him as he left. Annie couldn’t discern what it was exactly but her heart panged for him. Rich squeezed her waist, pulling her eyes away from the door as she turned to face him. He beamed at her and leaned in for a kiss. She closed her eyes and held her hands against his back, pulling him in. His one hand traveled along her spine, while the other tangled in her hair, holding her head as he pressed his lips to hers. He stepped into her, forcing her back against the table. He pulled his lips off hers, tilting his head the other way as he sucked on her bottom lip. She flicked her tongue along his top lip that was wandering into her mouth. She tried to pull back to end the kiss, but Rich leaned in further, making her fall back, closer to the table. She twisted her face away and Rich backed off.  
“Sorry,” he laughed, “I missed ya today.” Annie nodded and smiled at him. A conversation she'd had with Britta made her wonder if Rich's burst of passion was coming from a place of possessiveness or jealousy after finding her alone with another man. She dismissed the notion, believing Rich trusted and respected her enough to not be made insecure or be bothered by her male friends. She flirted with him to reciprocate his love. Her teeth pulled in her lower lip as she looked up at him from under her eyelashes. Her hands rested on his shirt collar as she pulled on it playfully.  
“Mm, I missed you too,” she hummed. He smirked at her, catching on to her seduction techniques. She pushed his chest briskly, creating space between them as she slipped off the table. She cleared her throat, not wanting to tease him any more, not at school anyway.  
“So, your place?”

On the car ride over, Annie told Rich about the day’s turn of events.  
“He was just constantly ridiculing me. Like, I get it, it’s just student politics. But then he decides to run? So, I did the petty thing and stopped focusing on actually improving the school, but getting even with him in terms of humiliation instead,” she explained. Rich listened intently, though his focus was on the road.  
“What’d you do?”  
“I got a hold of an old tape of his. It was stupid… some audition song and dance.” Rich laughed and Annie was brought back to standing in front of the cafeteria, tormented by guilt and the overwhelming cries of the crowd.  
“It’s not funny,” she stated seriously, “It was wrong of me. I couldn’t handle being brought down so I tore him down too? I’m disgusting.”  
“Oh, come on, it’s a little funny. Jeff takes himself so seriously. The man’s ego is unreasonably large. You play some old video and he crumbles? No way.” Annie thought back to what Jeff had told her in the storage room. His arrogant air is put on. He wants to appear self-assured so no one sees his self-doubt and sensitivity. She didn’t want to share this with Rich, though. She felt obligated to keep Jeff’s sensitivities secret.  
“No one’s immune to embarrassment,” she explained. Rich nodded solemnly, apologizing for his laughter.  
“What happened next?”  
“Well, Jeff dropped out of the race and I did too. I went to go looking f-“ Rich cut her off.  
“You dropped out?”  
“Yeah, I felt awful. I couldn’t keep campaigning as if I hadn’t just smashed my friend’s self-confidence.”  
“Well, that’s a shame. You would’ve won, no doubt.”  
“Yeah, well, that doesn’t really matter. After what I did, the win would've felt... tainted. Anyway, I went to look for him. I found him sulking in a storage room. I just felt… bad.”  
“Hmm, you’re a good friend, Annie. I mean, after he humiliated you for running, he started running against you. You just try to get even, and you feel the need to run after him, apologizing? You’re a good friend to a man that doesn’t appreciate how kind you are.”  
“No, Rich,” Annie started, but Rich had more to say.  
“Come on, did he show any remorse after berating you?”  
“Well, no but-"  
“No more needs to be said, Annie. He clearly had no problem hurting you. You’re too good to him.”  
“No, no, when I met him in the storage room, we cleared things up. He was just going through some things. We made up, now. He never meant to hurt me.” Rich snorted in disbelief, giving his head a little shake.  
“I don’t get why you defend him so much… he sounds like a tricky fella,” Rich sighed, biting back stronger words.  
“Oh, believe me, it’s easy to see him that way,” she said, thinking back to how he had ignored her after their passionate kiss last year, “But, he’s really sweet. He is. It just takes some time to break down his initial walls.”  
“I guess I trust your judgement, Annie,” Rich nodded unconvincingly, “I just wish you wouldn’t spend so much time with people that tear you down so much. I worry about you.”  
“Aww, Rich,” Annie gushed, “I know, but Jeff’s harmless, really.”

Once they got to Rich’s apartment, they ordered in some Chinese food and collapsed onto the couch.  
“To what would’ve been a dull victory anyway,” Rich toasted playfully, raising his take-out box. Annie laughed, returning the gesture.  
“Dull? What do you mean dull?” she laughed. Rich teetered his head side to side, chewing his food before continuing.  
“Y’know. Don’t get me wrong, our school is a great place, with great people, but did you get a good look at the other candidates? I mean really, anyone could’ve beaten them. Mmm, especially you, though. I mean you prepared like crazy for a _community_ college _student body_ election,” he chuckled, shaking his head.  
“Yeah, but,” Annie said, swallowing a bite, “student body president… would’ve been something to be proud of,” she shrugged. Rich shrugged too, humming in disagreement.  
“Mmm, sure. But it isn’t really a _huge_ achievement or anything.” Annie’s face screwed up in confusion, she kept her smile, but it wasn’t really genuine anymore.  
“I don’t get it, at school you were going on about how impressed you were. You were really proud of me and wanted me to take home that title.”  
“Yeah, I guess I just thought it was cute seeing you go all out for something so pointless.” _Pointless_. That word struck Annie’s heart like an arrow. Her smile dropped.  
“It wasn’t pointless to me. I wanted to make a difference. Winning would’ve been uh... a triumph.” Rich’s eyebrows jumped up as Annie glorified the election. It really did matter to her and she didn’t understand Rich’s sudden change of heart.  
“Look, I’m just saying, it’s no big deal you didn’t win, because winning wouldn’t have really meant that much anyway. I’m trying to make you feel better.” Annie glared into her take-out box. She started picking at her food with her chopsticks.  
“Yeah, well, sorta missed the mark on that one,” she huffed.

They ate their food in pitiful silence. After dinner, Rich flicked on the TV and switched mindlessly through the channels. Annie curled up on the opposite end of the couch, not feeling her usual desire for closeness. Her phone buzzed on the table. She leaned forward and then settled back to read the message.  
Jeff: _I know we’ve already hugged and made up, but I still feel like a bit of a jerk. I’m really sorry I ruined the election for you. I’ll make it up to you. How about in the next real presidential election, I’ll vote for whoever you want? That means two votes for the candidate of your choosing._  
Annie smiled at her phone. They had forgiven one another and yet he still checked up on her. She hoped he wasn’t sitting at home alone in his guilt.  
Annie: _What like I buy you’re vote? Isn’t that illegal?_  
Jeff: _Not buying it; you’ve earned it. There’s a difference._  
Annie: _Doesn’t sit right with me…_  
Jeff: _Goody-goody :P_  
A moment passed before Jeff sent something else  
Jeff: _We’ll figure something out. If Greendale ever hosts another election, I’ll help you win. You have my word (and my vote)._  
Annie’s smile fell as she typed back a response.  
Annie: _Thanks, but the elections are stupid, anyway. Won’t be running again._  
On the other side of the phone, Jeff hesitated, confused as to where this defeatist attitude came from.  
Jeff: _Do I have the right number? Annie, what are you talking about? The election was important to you._  
Annie: _Yeah, to me. Not to anyone else. I shouldn’t have cared so much about a community college election. Winning wouldn’t have been something to be proud of, really._  
Jeff read the incoming messages with growing worry and surprise.  
Annie: _Look at my life; Recovered pill addict at a community college, going way overboard for a silly little student election. It’s pathetic. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it is all downhill from here._  
Jeff: _Sure, the election may not have been super important in the grand scheme of things, but you take the ‘silly’ and put so much hard work and heart into them that they become important. Now that’s something to be proud of, Annie._  
Annie gazed fondly at her phone, unaware of Rich’s eyes all over her.  
Annie: _You really think so?_  
Jeff: _Of course. You may think they’re silly accomplishments, but I’m proud of you, Annie._  
Her heart-warming trance was broken when Rich cleared his throat.  
“Who are you talking to?” he asked. Annie shook her head and shrugged.  
“No one. Just Jeff,” she replied coldly, not really in the mood to talk with him. Rich nodded slowly considering Annie’s words.  
“What’s he saying?” he questioned suspiciously.  
“We're talking ab-“ before she could finish, Rich plunged himself forwards, taking her phone harshly from her hands. She lunged after him in protest, her hands grabbing for her phone anxiously.  
“Hey, Rich!” she scolded, surprised by his assertiveness. He shot his arm up high, keeping the phone out of her reach. With his free hand, he gave her a rough push back on the couch. She settled near him, giving up trying to recover her phone. He tentatively lowered it to eye level and started reading through her messages. She stared at him, watching his expression closely as he scrolled through the conversation. He snorted gruffly.  
“So, I tell you a hard truth; that your school’s government isn’t really the big deal that you think it is, and you go _crying_ about it to _him_? Wasn’t he the one that was mocking you in the first place?”  
Annie sat speechless. Her mind was completely blank, still processing what was happening. Rich kept reading.  
“Jeez,” he laughed, “This guy is just _desperate_ to get in your pants, huh?”  
“What?” Annie’s attention snapped. She forced herself to stay present no matter how badly she wanted to shut down.  
“Please, don’t play dumb,” Rich growled. His expression was oddly cheery for his harsh statements. There was a gleam of anger in his eyes, but he wore a wide smile.  
“Why else would he be so nice to you? Pretending like any of your needless efforts matter.” Annie shrunk back, hurt settling in on her face.  
“Rich…” she gasped, shocked by his words. She started reflecting back on the day, evaluating Jeff’s behavior. She shook her head, drawing an affirmed conclusion.  
“He’s my friend. He cares about me beca-“  
“Because he wants to _fuck_ you, Annie. Why else would he tear you down and then build you up, making me seem like the bad guy, so you go running over to him for comfort. Think about it, really. He doesn’t actually care about you. He just wants you to spread your legs for him.”  
Annie was fighting back tears as she tried to ignore his words. She shook her head slowly.  
“That’s not true.”  
“Are you seriously that naive?” Rich scoffed, tossing her phone back at her. It landed on the couch cushion beside her, but she was in no rush to grab it.  
“Go on,” Rich prompted, nodding at her phone, “ go tell your friend what the big bad wolf said. Then go over and cry in his arms. Just don’t be surprised when he takes advantage of your vulnerability.”  
“What is _wrong_ with you today? You pretend to care about things I’m _proud_ of doing, to turn around and diminish them. Then you read through my messages and question my friend’s credibility and intentions. This isn’t… this isn't like you!” she said through tears. Rich glared at her, unwilling to apologize.  
“I want you to stop spending time with him,” Rich ordered.  
“What?” she sniffled, looking up to meet his eyes, terrified by the animosity she saw looking back at her, burning through her.  
“Jeff. He’s not good for you. He’s trying to turn you against me. You see the lengths I have to go to make you understand that? I don’t want to make you cry, Annie. But, here we are.” Annie struggled to connect the dots in her head. She didn’t see how this could be Jeff’s fault. She raised a shaky hand to clear her face of tears.  
“I think I have to go, Rich,” she sighed. He shook his head.  
“No, no, if you leave, you'll end up in his bed.” Annie scoffed and winced in disgust.  
“I’m not going to see Jeff. I just want to go home.”  
“No, Annie. You’re staying here.” She rose from the couch and started walking towards the door.  
“You’re not leaving,” Rich barked, following her through his apartment. He reached out and yanked her arm, pulling her away from the door.  
“Let me go, please,” she asked calmly, gently resisting his grasp. He only tightened it, squeezing her arm strongly.  
“No, you’re staying here with me.”  
“Rich,” she warned, “You’re hurting me.”  
Rich didn’t ease up though, he stood rigidly, waiting for her to relent and stay with him. Annie felt panic rise through her as she started tugging against him with more urgency.  
“Rich, let go,” she begged, trying to keep her voice steady. Rich was glaring down at her and started shouting protests.  
“No! You’re not going anywhere!”  
He kept yelling over top of her. The room had become a shouting match. Annie was pulling back with all her might but Rich was much bigger and stronger than she was. With one last powerful yank, she pulled her arm out of his death grip and took a daring step towards the door. Rich stood in the way and as Annie stepped closer, trying to push her way to the door, he angrily drew his arm back.  
“I said you’re not FUCKING going anywhere!” he shouted as his hand swiped down, striking her hard across her face.  
She stumbled sideways, almost tripping to the ground. She cowered, keeping her eyes down as she brought her hand to her face. Pain stung through her skin as her face went numb. She felt like she was about to throw up. Her mouth hung open in shock, not understanding how their night had come to this. A wounded silence swallowed the room.  
“Annie,” Rich started, regret softening his voice, “Annie, Annie, hey, I’m sorry.” He stepped towards her, opening his arms to drag her in for a hug. She flinched against his touch but let him embrace her. She wasn’t sure if she was breathing. Rich kept apologizing profusely, his words cutting into her mind, which was overwhelmed with static.  
“I had a tough day at work and then I couldn’t seem to make you anything but upset. I’m so sorry. You probably hate me, now. I can’t believe how awful I am. I hate this. God, I hate myself. How could I do this? I’m a monster. I’m terrible. My own girlfriend doesn’t even wanna spend the night with me. I’m so sorry. Please, Annie, I don’t know what to do. You can’t leave me. If you leave, I’ll have no one. I’ll have no reason to keep living. I’ll kill myself. Annie, if you leave, I’ll kill myself. Please, please, you have to stay,” Rich pleaded, trapping her against his chest. Annie’s heart felt like it was going to explode. She wanted to run from him, get as far away as possible. But when he started talking down on himself, threatening his own life, she told herself she couldn’t.  
“Annie, say something, please, please.” She fought to find her voice but could barely make out a few croaks.  
“I…” she felt Rich holding his breath, desperate for her response, “I’m sorry, I’ll stay.”

After listening to Rich cry for what felt like an hour, thanking her relentlessly for her forgiveness, he went to get ready for bed. Annie sat glumly on the couch, cursing herself for staying. Her phone went off again and her heart skipped a beat. She prayed that Rich didn’t hear it, or if he did, that he didn’t care. She waited for a moment, making sure Rich wasn’t coming back, before checking the message.  
Jeff: _Sorry, too cheesy?_  
Annie typed out a response furiously fast before turning her phone on silent.  
Annie: _No, very sweet. Thank you, but please stop messaging me._

Jeff frowned at the message. Had he said something wrong? He wanted to ask, but he also wanted to abide by her wishes. This regrettably meant for Jeff, that he’d be sitting in a pool of worry with no foreseeable escape. His imagination ran wild with scenarios that could be taking place on Annie’s end. _Had Rich told her to say that? No way, Rich isn’t the jealous type, he’s perfect,_ Jeff thought. He concluded that Rich and Annie must be trying to get intimate and her phone’s constant buzzing must’ve been killing the mood. It was an unfortunate image to have landed on, but it was all he could think of. He pinched his eyes tight, trying to shake the thought. His phone went off and he jumped on it, desperately hoping for some sort of explanation from Annie. His hopes crashed when he read the message.  
“Ugh, Britta,” he groaned.  
Britta: _✡︎□︎◆︎ ◆︎◻︎📪︎ 🕈︎♓︎■︎♑︎ 👎︎♓︎■︎♑︎✍︎_  
Jeff: _What’s all that?_  
Britta: _Wing dings! It says, “you up, wing ding?” Get it? Like Jeff Winnggger?_  
Jeff: _Delightful._  
Britta: _Aww is jeffy-weffy feewing bad about himsewf :(_  
Jeff: _Yes. Thanks for the concern._  
Britta: _Hey, come on, I’m sorry. Wanna talk about it? Why don’t you come over?_  
Jeff tossed his head back, considering his options; stay at home, trying not to think about whatever was going on with Rich and Annie, or go visit Britta. She’d analyze his attitude and they’d inevitably sleep together. Sex with Britta was somewhat sad and tragic. He was just using her to fill the void of loneliness. And while Britta knew this and accepted it, there was always a part of her that held on to the hopeless notion that she could mean more to him. Not that she even wanted to mean more to him. What she really wanted was to mean _anything_ to _anyone._ Britta would convince herself she meant nothing too often. Despite the tragedy of it all, sex with Britta was comfortable and safe… plus it never failed to satisfy. He sucked in his cheeks, wondering if he’d regret this.  
Jeff: _Thanks, Britta. I’m on my way._

Meanwhile, at Rich’s place, Annie had talked Rich off the ledge. Even though he was the one to belittle her, invade her privacy, bad mouth her and her friends, and then physically hurt her, she had to calm _him_ down, excusing his actions. Against her better judgement, he forgave him and tried to force herself to look past all the red flags. _Chalk it up to a bad night,_ she told herself. Later on, Rich had convinced a stiff and sullen Annie to get into bed with him. She didn’t enjoy herself, though. Not in the slightest. Rich rolled off of her, panting hard. She stared up at the ceiling feeling hollow, before turning to her side, away from Rich.  
“Did you…” Rich started to ask between huffy breaths. He already knew the answer was no. Annie lied, nodding her head. Though Rich didn’t believe her, he was too tired to care. He rolled over and pressed his back into hers, breathing hard on her neck. Annie squirmed uncomfortably, loathing the hot air against her skin, wanting nothing more than to be alone. Fear tensed her muscles as she considered what asking for space would entail. More yelling? More suicide threats? More hitting? She decided against moving, letting Rich smother her. She fought her panic and shut her eyes tightly. She held on to the hope that when she'd wake up, the night will have passed like nothing more than a bad, bad dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It goes without saying, but abusive relationships are unhealthy. Whether that's verbal, physical, emotional, financial, or whatever it may be. If you ever find yourself in an abusive relationship, I urge you to get out. Sometimes that's hard. There may be things preventing you from safely leaving the relationship. Talk to a trusted loved one, call a hotline, go to a shelter... just do what you can to stay safe. Every relationship is different so there's no concrete solution for everybody. Stay safe and stay tuned for the next chapter <3


	10. Cards, Conflicting Camaraderie, and Copulation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones after Intro to Political Science and before Critical Film Studies. I skipped over a rewrite for Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy because not much would've changed. Warnings for this chapter include manipulation and heightened aggression/ near abuse. Also, there's a significant part of the chapter that's very raunchy.

Jeff stood at Rich’s apartment door, staring at it as if he could will it to open. He held an unopened bottle of scotch in his hand. His face was fatigued. He was dreading the night ahead. He wondered if it was too late to just head home. Inside the apartment, he could hear indistinct chatter and laughter erupting every so often. He already had a headache. He pinched his eyes shut and wrinkled his nose with regret as he raised a strong hand and knocked on the door. He took in one last sharp breath as he heard footsteps approaching. He forced a weak grin.  
“Jeff! Glad you could make it,” Rich beamed. About a week ago, Annie had sent an overly eager message to the study group inviting them over for a game night. What her friends didn’t know was that this was an urgent attempt to get them into Rich’s good graces. Rich had been increasingly vocal about his mistrust and dislike of her friends. She had begged him for about a week to give them a chance. He gave in begrudgingly, allowing Annie to throw a get together in an attempt to prove her friends were better than he thought.  
“Yeah, wouldn’t miss it,” Jeff replied, trying his best to sound genuine. He held up the bottle of scotch, offering it to Rich.  
“Not sure if you’re a big scotch drinker but…” Rich accepted the bottle graciously.  
“Gee, this is so sweet, Jeff. Why don’t you come in?” Jeff stepped in the door, shrugging off his coat. He looked around the apartment. It was flawlessly clean. Jeff scanned the room, desperate to find one imperfection. Much like searching for imperfections in Rich, this proved to be impossible. Pierce was slouched in a leather armchair, looking _very_ comfortable and serene. Shirley and Britta were huddled together on the couch, chatting, while Troy and Abed were thumbing through Rich’s DVD collection. They judged his films and looked seemingly impressed. Rich hung up Jeff’s coat and guided him to the living room. Rich's hand was resting on Jeff's back as he brought him in. Jeff gritted his teeth, reluctantly letting Rich touch him with the sickeningly friendly gesture. Jeff peered over his shoulder to see Annie, hurrying around in the kitchen. After how excited she had been leading up to the night, she seemed inexplicably stressed to Jeff. Her face was flushed and her usual gentle smile was twisted to be more like a worried grimace. He frowned in confusion before turning back to the living room.  
“Oh, Jeffery, you came!” chimed Shirley from the couch. Her big purse was hung by the door. She _always_ would have it clutched in her hands, but at Rich’s place, she felt safe enough that she trusted to leave it by the door. Britta smirked at Jeff, noting the irritation that he was desperately trying to bury under weak support for Annie.  
“Have a seat,” Rich said, patting Jeff a little too powerfully on the back before joining Annie in the kitchen. Jeff settled beside Britta, leaning back against the armrest. She gave his knee an encouraging squeeze.  
“This means a lot to her, Jeff. You’re a good friend for coming,” she whispered kindly to him. She knew how much Rich bothered him. Jeff was put off by Rich’s constant happy-go-lucky nature, angered by his genuine kindness and faultless character. Jeff shrugged.  
“Yeah, well,” he mumbled. Troy rose to his feet abruptly.  
“He has _every_ batman movie. He’s my hero,” he gushed, looking longingly at Rich in the kitchen. Abed nodded in agreement.  
“A lot of older films, too. Mainly from the 80s, which makes sense. That was a good decade for film.”  
There was only one other leather armchair. Troy and Abed shared a sly knowing glance before jumping into a _Goofy Gophers_ routine. They both politely offered the seat to one another, refusing to take it and insisting the other do.  
“Mac, Tosh, quit it and just pull up a chair from the dining table,” Jeff snapped. Abed nodded briskly and jogged over to the kitchen to snag a chair. Troy hopped into the other leather seat and wiggled in it like a child, glancing joyfully at Pierce. Jeff’s eyes followed Abed, but after Abed returned with the chair, his eyes stayed fixed on the kitchen as he watched Rich mutter something to Annie before trotting out, heading towards the living room. Annie’s eyes fluttered briefly and her breath caught in her throat. She pulled in her lower lip, chewing on it nervously before pushing her shoulders back and holding her head high. Jeff looked away quickly when he saw Annie’s eyes land on his.  
“Can I get you all something to drink?” Rich asked, clapping his hands together, “We’ve got water, champagne, Merlot, Zinfandel, Riesling, uhh I think I might have some pop? Oh, and the lovely scotch, Jeffery brought!”  
“Got any beer, pretty boy?” Pierce asked crudely, not seeming very patient for Rich’s softness. Jeff smirked.  
“Uh, I can see what we have in the fridge,” he nodded, turning back.  
“I’ll help you,” Britta announced, rising from her seat, getting drink orders from her friends. When she got to Jeff, she ordered for him.  
“Lemme guess, scotch?” He threw his hands up and nodded. She turned on her heels and followed Rich into the kitchen. Annie walked timidly out of the kitchen, sliding a deck of cards on the table along with a bowl of pretzels, a bowl of chips and a plate of various veggies with a cup of dip in the center. She sighed, her breath shaking as she stepped over to the living room, putting on a wide grin.  
“Okay, I think we’re ready to start,” she said.  
Rich and Britta placed the drinks down at the table, while everyone rose to grab a chair. Abed carried his seat back to the table and Troy plopped down next to him. Shirley settled in next to Abed. Jeff sat next to her. Annie smiled as she slid in to the seat next to Troy, Rich sitting beside her. With two seats left between Jeff and Rich, Jeff prayed Britta would sit next to him and not Rich. But, Britta pulled out the chair next to Rich before taking a seat. Jeff choked back a disappointed groan as Pierce lumbered in from the living room and sat next to him. Pierce surveyed the array of food on the table and before Rich could suggest a game while shuffling the cards, he raised a hand in protest.  
“Woah, woah, where’s the kettle corn?” he asked, glaring at Rich and Annie. Annie’s mouth popped open but Pierce kept talking, “I was under the impression there’d be kettle corn here, tonight. That’s why I came.” A look of alarm flashed over Annie’s face as she responded with a desperate smile.  
“Well, I’m sure that’s not the _only_ reason you came, right Pierce?” she asked, looking hopefully at him. Pierce grunted and grabbed a handful of pretzels, frowning at the couple. Rich laughed.  
“Sorry, Pierce. I’ve been insanely busy with work. My patients have to come before, albeit delicious, snack foods.”

The group discussed what game they could play. Turns out the only game all 8 of them knew how to play was cheat. Abed suggested using two packs of cards instead of one. So, Rich got a second deck and started shuffling them all together. The night was going somewhat smoothly. Though, Annie grew increasingly distressed as the game seemed to bring out the worst in her friends. Shirley refused to cheat, so she would often end up frustrated with her losing position. Pierce accused Troy, Abed and Shirley of cheating every hand. Britta jumped on Pierce’s subtle racism and ended up scolding him for over 5 minutes about the problem with racial prejudices. While she had a fair point, her passion and anger made the rest of the group go silent, bored with her rant. Jeff had started drinking more and more and became detached from the game, finding more pleasure staring off into space than actually playing. Troy was a terrible liar, and while cute at first, his constant childlike comments and giggling began to annoy everyone else. Abed was the only one that wasn’t causing Annie any stress. He was polite and quiet. Abed won the game. Annie suggested one more round, hoping her friends would do better the second time.  
“Could I just excuse myself to the restroom? Deal me in, I’ll be back to play my turn,” Jeff said, slight boredom dominating his tone. Rich nodded and pointed to a door across the room. Jeff rose while Rich dealt the cards. He shut the bathroom door behind him and leaned against it, sighing. He rubbed his temple, trying to ease his headache. He may have been drinking too much. He didn’t know how else to get through the evening, though. Every time Rich opened his mouth to share a charming story, everyone fawned over him. Jeff hated it. He hated the way Rich told amazing stories with biting modesty. He hated the way Rich would laugh at everyone's unfunny jokes without any trace of sarcasm. He hated the way Rich's life fell together perfectly. He hated the way Rich unknowingly incited fits of jealousy within him. He hated the way Rich would casually touch Annie because he could. He hated the way Rich's apartment looked. He hated the way Rich looked. He hated Rich. Above all, he hated that he hated Rich for no reason other than his own insecurities. He assumed getting a bit tipsy would take the edge off. He thought that if he had enough alcohol in him, he might be able to tolerate Rich and possibly even enjoy the evening. This was far from the truth. All of Jeff’s drinking drove him further into irritation. Jeff glared at himself in Rich’s spotlessly clean bathroom mirror. He continued palming his forehead in a halfhearted attempt to soothe himself.

Back at the table, the group sat in an awkward silence. The cards had been dealt and the conversation had fallen into a lull. Rich sighed and Annie caught on to his impatience. Her eyes darted anxiously from Jeff’s empty chair and glass to the bathroom door.  
“Maybe someone should check on him…” she suggested quietly. Just as she was about to rise from her seat to check on Jeff, Abed slammed his cards down and pushed his chair out abruptly.  
“On it,” he said, raising a determined finger.  
“Knock before you go in!” Pierce advised, "He might be _getting busy_ with himself in there."  
Pierce's comment drew groans of disgust from the rest of the group. Though Abed was almost positive Jeff was in there sulking, he did knock… just in case.  
“Jeff? It’s me, Abed.” Jeff rolled his eyes on the other side of the door.  
“Yeah, sorry. Just one sec,” he replied. The door swung open and Abed stepped in, shutting the door firmly behind him.  
“Uh? Hey, yeah sure, come in,” Jeff scoffed.  
“Jeff,” Abed warned, “you’ve got to watch your alcohol intake. You’re one or two drinks away from saying things you aren’t ready to say. Things you shouldn’t say inebriated.”  
“Abed, I know drinking like you know TV, I’m fine,” Jeff lied. Abed shook his head in disappointment.  
“While your confidence is admirable, it’s coming from a place of insecurity. You don’t want to tell Annie how you feel because you’re afraid of what might happen,” Abed explained. Jeff scowled at him.  
“I’m not insecure and I have nothing to tell Annie,” Jeff insisted. Abed looked Jeff up and down.  
“You can lie to yourself all you want, Jeff. Doesn’t change the truth.”  
“I’m not lying,” Jeff hissed through gritted teeth.  
“You may be able to fool yourself, but you can’t fool me. Besides, the truth has a way of revealing itself… I just hope you’re in control when it does.”  
With that, Abed turned to leave.  
“Follow me out, Jeff. It’s rude to leave your friends waiting.”  
The two wandered back to the table.  
"You help finish him off Gay-bed?" Pierce asked with a chuckle. The group erupted into more scolding at the old man's crude comments.

They played the next round. Jeff considered Abed’s words thoughtfully. While he didn’t want to admit his friend may have been right, he stopped drinking as much, fearful of what might happen if he continued drinking at the rate he was before. Rich had won the game and the group had settled into a casual conversation, deciding not to play another round. Everyone had little anecdotes to share. Even Jeff contributed to the chatter in a non-sarcastic way. He kept glancing at Annie who was being unusually quiet. Her face was no longer flushed. She looked pale and almost sickly. Her smile kept wavering and there was a flickering gleam of fear in her eyes as she got lost staring at nothing in particular. Jeff seemed to be the only one to notice her unnatural behavior. Perhaps it was because the others would only lay eyes on her for a moment, whereas Jeff’s eyes continually returned to her and lingered there uncomfortably long. What Jeff didn’t notice, was that Rich had been watching him like he was watching Annie. 

Everyone started gathering their things as the night drew to an end. At the door, Annie was hugging everyone furiously, dragging out the goodbye. She made sure to hug each one of her friends at least once. She held them tightly, breathing in their comfortably familiar scents. Finally, Jeff wasn’t the only one to be aware of Annie’s strange behavior. Britta winced, awkwardly patting Annie’s back as the young girl strangled her arms around Britta’s waist, burying her face in her friend’s shoulder. Britta flashed Jeff a worried look. Jeff nodded and his eyebrows jumped up for a split-second as if to say, “Yeah, I’ve noticed too.” When Annie finally pulled back, her eyes were wet. She looked so fragile, like at any moment she’d crumble to the floor in tears.  
“Annie,” Britta gasped quietly. A shaky smile spread across Annie’s face.  
“I love you, guys,” she explained, her voice breaking a little. Rich threw an arm around her shoulder, jostling her a bit, putting an end to all the hugs.  
“Aww, well, thank you all for coming! It was a great night,” he smiled. There was an uneasy energy between the group. Even Pierce who was usually socially unaware of sensitivities had been remarkably silent and reserved. He too was caught up in the peculiar atmosphere. One by one, they filed out of Rich’s apartment, thanking the couple for hosting a fun night. As Jeff reached back to shut the door behind him, he caught a glimpse of lifelessness in Annie’s face. Her eyes were locked on the floor and her face was limp and white with worry. As the door shut, dread took over Annie’s entire body.

“That was… weird, right?” Britta asked the rest of the group as they walked slowly down the hall to the elevator. Rich's building was rather posh. The rag-tag group felt very out of place, wandering through the refined halls.  
“She _smelled_ me when we were hugging,” Troy whispered, clearly disturbed. The group hummed.  
“Well, why do you think she was extra lovey-dovey?” Britta continued. Abed shook his head as the group huddled into the elevator.  
“She wasn’t overly affectionate _all_ night. Anyone else notice how quiet she was when we were playing cards and talking at the table?” Abed said. Pierce shrugged.  
“She’s an uptight je-“ Britta shot him a warning glance, “jewelled, young lady. She was probably just lost in deep concentration so she could win.”  
“Jewelled? She wasn’t even wearing that much jewellery… plus, she didn’t win. And Annie wins everything,” Troy noted. Britta rolled her eyes.  
“Something’s going on, I can feel it,” Britta grumbled.  
“Oh dear,” Shirley squeaked, “Do you think An-nie may have gotten back on her pills? Could explain the strange behavior.” The group considered this quietly. Troy thought back to how severe her addiction was in high school.  
“Well, what are we gonna do about this?” Troy asked, full of genuine concern. Jeff reached his hand forward, and stopped the elevator.  
“Nothing, we aren’t going to do anything, because there’s nothing wrong.” Jeff said to the group matter-of-factly. Britta crossed her arms and glared at him.  
“Last time I recall you refused to help, Pierce ended up in the hospital,” Shirley scolded. Her comment resulted in the groups full support, nodding and humming in agreement.  
“Don’t you think if something was wrong, she’d tell us?” Jeff asked.  
“Since when do you think people are always honest? Kind of ironic coming from the biggest liar we know,” Britta retorted.  
“Fair, I am a liar. But Annie isn't. If Annie wanted us to meddle with her life, I think we’d know. Let’s just stay out of it until she actively admits she needs help.” Abed shook his head disapprovingly, looking straight through Jeff. He knew Jeff cared about Annie and wanted to be on board with helping her, too. But, Jeff wouldn’t allow himself to help her because that would mean admitting he cares about someone other than himself… Annie no less, whom he was desperately trying to distance himself from. The group fell into a bitter silence.  
“It doesn’t really matter if she wants our support or not. It’s sorta implied that she always has it… y’know since we’re _friends_?” Troy rebuked, glaring at Jeff.  
“More than that. The girl doesn’t have a family. We’re all she has,” Pierce chimed in, oddly supportive. He thought back momentarily to the pride he felt for her when he visited her apartment.  
“Well, now I just feel sorry for her,” Jeff sneered back.

Back at Rich’s apartment, the two had started cleaning up. Neither of them spoke. Annie was the first to break the silence.  
“So,” she started, her voice shaking, “they’re not all that bad, right?”  
Rich sighed, planting his hands on the counter and hanging his head. He was in the kitchen, facing away from her in the living room. Annie stared hopefully at his back, waiting for some sort of response. Rich just shook his head to himself and started to load glasses into the dishwasher.  
“Rich?” she said wearily. She drew closer to the kitchen.  
“I don’t wanna talk about it, now,” Rich grumbled, still refusing to look at her. Annie stood a few feet away from him, just outside the kitchen.  
“Well, Rich… come on. You said we-“ Rich slammed his fist down on the counter, making the glasses jump as well as Annie.  
“Dammit, Annie! I said I didn’t wanna talk about it,” he shouted. Annie’s heart was racing. She knew she had to stop pushing him.  
“Okay,” she whispered. The two of them stood frozen for a while before Rich started placing the glasses in the dishwasher, more harshly than before. Annie felt the words, “calm down,” in her throat. She wasn’t sure if they had made it out. But, when Rich froze again, turning to glare at her, she immediately knew they had.  
“Excuse me?” he growled.  
“I just… the glasses. You might want to be a bit gentler. They could break,” she explained meekly. Rich grabbed a glass from off the counter and smashed it roughly on the ground. Shards of glass flew out across the floor, scattering wildly by Annie’s feet. She jumped back a few steps, startled by his vehemence. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, her eyes glued to the ground. He was scowling at her, his fists clenched and his face burning red. Rage flowed through him, pulsing through his body like water along rocky rapids.  
“I’m sorry,” Annie whispered, keeping her head bowed. Rich pursed his lips and shook his head, huffing through his nose like a bull.  
“Clean it up,” he demanded before he turned back to keep loading the dishwasher. Annie managed to get his broom and dustpan from the little closet, but her legs kept threatening to fail. She was shaking like crazy as she walked back over to the glassy mess. She started sweeping, collecting the dangerous shards into a neat pile. She knelt down to get a better view of the floor, ensuring to get every fragment. She swept the broken glass up into the dust pan and then tipped it cautiously into Rich’s garbage bin. He watched her carefully, his expression still severe but not quite as heated.  
“Thank you,” Rich mumbled, slamming his dishwasher shut. He grabbed the broom and dustpan from her hands and marched them back to the closet.  
“You really wanna talk about it? Fine, let’s do this, then,” Rich said, turning to face Annie. She was standing weakly in the kitchen, disheartened by his behavior. A hopeful gleam sparked up in her eyes as Rich offered to discuss the evening. Seeing her optimism grow, even mildly, irked Rich. He wanted her only happiness to come from him. That meant crushing her relationships with her friends.  
“They’re bad people, Annie. I’m worried about you… being with them. I don’t think they’re good for you.” Rich’s heart glowed as he saw Annie’s face falter, hearing his disapproval.  
“Bad people?” she laughed faintly. Rich nodded, not partaking in Annie’s attempt at lightheartedness.  
“Why do you think that?” she asked, keeping her face gentle as to not spur him on. Her voice was flat. She desperately tried to avoid an accusatory tone.  
“Where should I start?” he demanded, throwing his hands up before placing them dominantly on his hips. Annie waited for a moment, expecting him to continue, but she realized he was truly asking her what she wanted to hear. She thought carefully, deciding which one of her friends would be the hardest for him to criticize.  
“How about Abed? Isn’t he sweet?” she offered hopefully. Rich scoffed and shook his head, roughly swiping his tongue over his teeth.  
“Sweet? No, not really. He freaks me out… cold, emotionless. He’s like a robot.”  
“But he’s completely harmless. It would be totally safe for me to hang out with him, don’t you agree?”  
“Absolutely not. A guy like that would have no issue hurting you. Has he ever felt any remorse at all in his life?”  
“I don’t-“ she started.  
“He could be very dangerous, Annie.”  
“No, Rich,” she said softly, “I mean, you’ve seen him with Troy. Sure, Abed may be a little detached but he’s still a good friend and-“ Rich interrupted her again.  
“Right, Troy, the half-witted child. Aren’t you at all worried baby-sitting that guy will lower your IQ by 50 points?” Annie opened her mouth to protest but Rich carried on, “Even if he’s not inherently dangerous himself, he’s joint at the fucking hip with Abed. So, that’s a problem.”  
Annie tensed up as Rich’s voice got more aggressive. She averted her eyes back to the ground. She wanted to defend her friends, but Rich had made it clear he wasn’t listening to her. She just shook her head softly as Rich continued.  
“And that Shirley sure seems nice, but she’s just a desperate, middle-aged nobody who’s forcing her religion on everyone. She’s so passive aggressive and her real, cruel, judgmental nature is just hidden under extreme fake sweetness,” Rich said, glaring at Annie. She looked up for a moment, astonished by his harsh words.  
“And Britta? God, how can you stand her? She’s a total hypocrite. She drones on and on, just loving the sound of her own voice. What? Does she think her rants are actually doing anyone any good? We get it, you're annoyed by all these injustices. What the hell are we supposed to do about it? And on the opposite end of the political correctness spectrum, Pierce. He’s awful, Annie. Obsessed with himself though he’s got _no_ reason to be. And finally, Jeff. Are we sure that… vain jackass doesn’t have a drinking problem? I do _not_ want you to get mixed up with him.” There was a pause between the two. Annie’s eyes had grown glassy, on the verge of tears. She kept her head down, refusing to look him in the eye as he berated her friends, no, her _family_. Rich paced over to her, walking menacingly slow.  
“Annie?” he said in a low voice. She took a small step back as Rich began to crowd her, her eyes fluttering at the ground. He crossed his arms and glared down at her, a vile smirk growing on his face.  
“Look at me,” he purred. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor. After not much hesitation, Rich brought an aggressive hand up to Annie’s jaw, gripping her cheeks roughly. She stumbled back a step, caught-off guard by his hasty action. He forced her head up and stepped in even closer.  
“Look at me,” he repeated, his voice more threatening. Annie brought her eyes up wearily to meet Rich’s. While her eyes were welling up with tears and were full of fear, Rich’s were dark and confidently possessive.  
“Do you understand me?” he asked. Annie’s eyes kept falling away from Rich’s as she was rattled by his severe intensity. He gave her face a fierce jolt, his fingers digging into her.  
“Hey, do you understand me? Yes or no?” Annie’s heart was racing. She struggled to pull her lips apart since Rich was holding her head high, forcing her jaw shut.  
“Yes,” she mumbled, her teeth gritting slightly.  
“You know I’m only looking out for you, right?”  
“Yes.”  
“I don’t want you spending too much time with them because I worry they’ll hurt you. Because they aren’t good people, Annie. You understand that?” She paused for a second, still unsure Rich had drawn the right conclusion. However, Annie did believe that Rich was only judging her friends harshly because he cared about her and her well-being. She was blissfully unaware of Rich’s true intentions; to isolate her from those that really did care about her so that he’d be all she’d have.  
“Yes.” Rich smiled down at her, his eyes drifting to her lips.  
“Good,” he said as his hand loosened up. He leaned in, pushing his lips onto hers. Her lips were pressed together securely, refusing Rich’s attempts to deepen the kiss. He stepped in closer, forcing her back up against the wall. He pulled his face centimetres away from hers.  
“Open your mouth,” he ordered, huffing right in her face, bringing his lips back onto hers. His hands gripped her hips. As he worked furiously trying to push his way into a more passionate kiss, Annie hummed a quiet disapproval, wincing as he forced himself on her.  
“I said open your fucking mouth,” he growled, squeezing her hips roughly. Her eyes trembled for a moment as he drew himself back in. She then shut her eyes tightly while tentatively parting her lips. Rich’s tongue shoved itself into her mouth, nearly jamming down her throat. His tongue explored her mouth freely as he breathed hot air into her lungs. His lips were strong and rough against hers. He started groaning with pleasure, delighted by Annie’s submission to him. One of his large hands snaked its way up her shirt. He grabbed her breast, pushing her gruffly into the wall. She whimpered softly as he continued his passionate invasion of her mouth. He pulled off her lips and gazed at her flushed face. Her breathing hitched as she stared blankly ahead at his chest, her head tilted slightly down. He brought his hand out from under her shirt and to her face. He tipped her chin up, his thumb grazing softly against her cheek. She relished in his gentler, forgiving attention. His thumb wandered over to her lips, brushing the bottom one lightly. He stared at them; smooth, delicate and rosy, slightly puffy from his work earlier. He patted his thumb gingerly against the center of her lips before pushing his thumb into her mouth. Annie’s face turned slightly in protest, but Rich’s grip on her face hardened, keeping her still.  
“Suck on it,” he instructed. Annie’s lips split wearily, accepting his thumb in her mouth. She closed her lips around his thumb and started sucking as he wanted. Her tongue danced awkwardly around her mouth, avoiding contact with this thumb. He pushed his thumb in further.  
“Use your tongue.”  
Annie reluctantly flicked her tongue around his thumb. She continued sucking gently as she started licking along the length of his thumb, swirling her tongue around it every so often. He stared her down as she obediently kept working on his thumb. He could feel the blood pulsing down his body.  
“Look at me,” he ordered. Annie’s eyes rose to meet his. She immediately started blushing with the intimate eye contact. She kept sucking on his thumb as he pushed it further into her mouth. Then, he ripped it out with a satisfying pop. Annie’s eyes dropped and she tipped her head down breathlessly. Rich made quick work of his belt, unzipping his pants. A pit formed in Annie’s stomach as she predicted what he had planned next.  
“On your knees,” he commanded, placing a strong hand on her shoulder, pushing her down. Her heart racing, she knelt down in front of him. His pants dropped around his ankles and Annie averted her eyes from the bulge in his boxers. She saw them fall to the ground. She kept her eyes low. Rich brought his hand down, bending his knees slightly to tip up her chin. She locked eyes with him, ignoring his pulsing erection, mere inches from her face.  
“Put it in your mouth,” he instructed, glancing to his crotch. Annie’s face crinkled with nervousness.  
“I don’t know… I’ve never done this before,” she mumbled, embarrassment of her lack of experience creeping in. Rich flashed her a comforting smile from above.  
“It’s okay, just take it slow.” She knew she wasn’t getting out of this. She took a deep, but shaky, breath, and scooted in closer to him. She placed one hand around his girth. He felt hot. She took in another deep breath and brought her lips to the tip. She slowly began sucking on his cock, her tongue delicately teasing him. She took in more of his length as he gritted his teeth against the sensation. One of her hands started tugging and massaging his balls while the other rubbed the length of his cock that she couldn’t take in with her mouth. She continued sucking on him, humming softly. Rich’s breathing picked up as her tongue flitted around him. She had gotten him fairly worked up when he reached down and grabbed a fist full of her hair, pulling it roughly. As he pushed her head, he thrusted himself further into her mouth. Annie’s gag reflex went off like crazy as Rich started mercilessly fucking her throat.  
“Keep sucking,” Rich growled. Annie forced herself to keep her lips closed around him. She fought the idea that she’d throw up on his cock. Tears started falling down her face as she struggled for air. Rich’s grip on her hair was painful. She started licking him again as he pushed in and out of her mouth. Rich started grunting. His thrusts picked up speed for a moment before abruptly slowing down. She let her tongue swirl around his tip. With one last thrust, cum spilled out of him, slipping down Annie’s throat. She gagged, but Rich held himself firmly in her mouth, choking her. He was panting hard. His hands untangled from her hair as he pulled out of her mouth. Annie looked as though she was about to vomit, gasping for air as his cum spilled out of her mouth, dripping down her chin. Rich dipped his hand down to tip her face up once again, shutting her mouth.  
“Swallow,” he ordered, locking eyes with her. Annie did as she was told, swallowing his bittersweet fluid. He smirked slyly, pulling his hand away, allowing her to continue gasping and coughing.  
“Good girl.” Annie brought a trembling hand to her lips, wiping his cum off with her thumb. She blushed at his praise, feeling proud of herself. She was still breathing hard but had calmed herself down considerably. After pulling up his pants, Rich held out his hand graciously, offering it to her to help her stand up. She accepted it, pulling gently on his arm as she rose from her shaking legs. Rich kissed her forehead lovingly, stroking her hair. Annie recalled a time where this advance threw her off. Now, she found herself longing for it.  
“Come on,” he whispered sweetly, tugging her hand gently as he led her to his bedroom. He lay her down on his bed, climbing on top of her. He kissed her fondly on her lips. There was no sense of urgency as there had been many times before. Annie hummed happily, enjoying the slower style. Sex with Rich often overwhelmed her. She felt her whole body glow warmly in appreciation for his newly found tenderness. The apartment was silent; their lips coming together being the only sound. Before, while she was sucking him off, her ears felt assaulted by his frustrated grunts and the ringing from the fast intensity of it all. She wandered in a day-dream as Rich’s lips continued connecting softly with hers, no malicious intent of shoving his tongue around in her mouth. She wondered to herself if Rich was finally going to _make love_ to her instead of _fuck_ her. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach at the thought. But, her heart quickly stopped beating sweetly as Rich spoke.  
“What do you think,” he asked pausing to kiss her again, “about bondage?” Annie’s lips went limp and her eyes slid open. Rich pulled back to look at her.  
“Bondage?” she repeated cautiously, her voice coming out airy and worn down. She wasn’t asking as if she didn’t know what it meant. She was mostly asking as if to confirm he had really said what he did.  
“Yeah,” Rich said, smiling softly. Annie propped herself up on her elbows.  
“Uhh…” she started unsurely as Rich slid off the bed and grabbed a plastic bag out from under it. Annie sat herself up as Rich started pulling things out of the bag, which Annie understood must have been from a sex shop. She hoped her shock wasn’t too evident as she watched Rich lay out fluffy black handcuffs, a blindfold, a ball gag and a few other strange items she wasn’t able to identify. Rich eyed her carefully for a reaction. She worked hard to keep her expression neutral, though her heart was racing. _Did he get all this stuff specifically for me?_ she wondered.  
“You wanna try this stuff?” she asked coolly. Rich nodded while his eyes connected seriously with hers.  
“Only if it’s okay with you.” Annie paused for a moment, considering his words. While she yearned for slow, sweet, loving sex, she couldn’t deny the curiosity- and arousal- growing within her as she eyed the toys laid out on his bed. She nodded.  
“Okay.”

Moments later, Rich had Annie restrained. Her hands were pulled above her head, the cuffs holding her to his bed frame. He had tied the blindfold tightly around her eyes. They were gently shut, but even if she were to try and open them, her vision would be lost. She talked her way out of the ball gag, pointing out she had just been on her knees choking and didn’t want to spend the rest of the night on her back choking. Before tying her up, Rich had stripped her down to her bra and underwear. He had pulled her clothes off slowly and sensually, kissing her body as more of her skin was exposed. Now, Annie was laying still, completely at his mercy. She writhed with anticipation, desperately wishing she could see where Rich was. He stood near the edge of the bed; his eyes glued to her.  
“Remember the safe word?” he asked in a gruff low voice that sent shivers down Annie’s spine. She nodded.  
“Tell me,” he ordered.  
“Earmuffs.” Rich chuckled at her response. They had to land on a word that wouldn’t arouse either of them in any way. It had been an awkward, but fun, experience for them both, the tension broken as they tossed around random, non-sexy words.  
“That’s right,” he commended. The room fell into silence once again. Annie felt nervous as she heard shuffling around her, but couldn’t see a thing. The bed wobbled slightly as Rich climbed over top of her. His lips connected with her neck as he began kissing and sucking on it. His teeth grazed her sensitive skin. She felt as though her other senses had heightened. She hummed in delight as his lips tickled a sweet spot. Slowly, his face drifted down her neck. He stopped at her collar bone, kissing along her supple skin. Her breathing picked up as Rich placed sloppy kisses along her chest, burying his face between her breasts. One of his hands dipped into the cup of her bra. His thumb swiped roughly over her nipple, which was hardening under his touch. He started teasing it, pinching and circling it. Annie was starting to get worked up. She felt a smile form against her skin. Rich smirked hearing Annie pull on her restraints. As the rise and fall of her chest quickened, Rich stopped pleasuring her chest. He pulled his hand away and kept working his way down her body. He left a trail of wet kisses across her velvety stomach. She was fairly thin, but her body wasn’t toned. It was a stark contrast between Rich’s strappingly muscular form. Her head rolled back slightly as Rich’s mouth teased the top of her panties. Half his lips were pressed against her bare belly, the other half was blocked by the thin layer of fabric. She was startled by his fingers sudden contact to her stomach. He started swirling his fingers in slow circles. His fingers danced across her skin so lightly that she swore sometimes he wasn’t even touching her. His fingers traveled lower and lower. Annie held her breath with impatience as his fingers drew closer to her aching heat. His fingers slowed as they drew near the waistband of her panties, his lips still planted firmly against them. His fingers dipped in cautiously, before pulling back out. He was making her sweat. He pulled his mouth off of her and slid one finger underneath the hem of her panties. He swiped it agonizingly slowly across her stomach. She whimpered as his finger pulled back. The teasing went on like this for a few minutes. His mouth and fingers continually moved in on her, getting close, but never touching. Heat pooled between her thighs. She was uncomfortably hot. She tugged on the cuffs again, desperate to touch herself since Rich wouldn’t. She whined as Rich pulled away from her. She pressed her legs together, craving some kind of relief. A harsh hand grabbed her knee and pulled it away from her other leg.  
“Ah, ah, ah,” Rich taunted, “You’re a bit needy, huh? Dirty little slut.” Annie’s mouth popped open further, somewhat offended by his words… somewhat turned on. She felt herself throbbing between her legs, yearning for release. He let go of her leg and she tentatively brought it back to press against the other, rubbing herself inadequately. Rich chuckled darkly as Annie squirmed uncomfortably, irritated by her restraints. He leaned in close to her ear and hushed her. Annie’s body stilled, enthralled by his hot breath on her ear and neck.  
“If you behave, I’ll give you what you’re so desperate for,” he whispered, his voice husky. Annie shuddered, feeling him so close, yet being unable to touch and see him.  
“Will you be a good girl?” he asked. Annie nodded eagerly, panting hard though he had barely touched her yet. He chuckled again for a brief moment. His low laughter stopped abruptly as he gripped her legs, forcing them apart. She gasped as his fingers dug powerfully into her skin.  
“Then stop trying to get yourself off,” he bellowed. His grip loosened on her thighs and he pulled back. Refusing to touch her, and refusing to let her touch herself, Annie was left sweating, her teeth gritted as she tried helplessly to take her mind off of the sensation growing between her legs. Her skin was burning hot and Rich grinned down at her as he watched her turn red, flustered beyond belief. She inhaled sharply as she felt his fingers trail along the waistband of her underwear once again. This time, he hooked her panties by her hip and pulled them down. She tried to help him, lifting her ass from the mattress so he could slip them off with ease. He hummed a low rumble of appreciation for her compliance. She assumed he was going to start touching her. But she was left disappointed as he discarded her underwear off the side of the bed and slipped a hand under her back. He unhooked her bra in one swift movement, demonstrating great practice. The cups hung slackly on her breasts as he leaned in to speak once again.  
“I’m going to undo your handcuffs to take your bra off,” he explained. She felt the cuffs loosen around her wrists as he pulled the bra straps up her arms. Her feeling of liberation was short-lived as he restricted her once again with the black cuffs.  
“You’re beautiful,” he stated, his voice gravelly. Annie blushed, intoxicated by his admiration.  
“You’re my beautiful little girl.” A soft smile pulled at Annie’s lips. She wished the blindfold was off, so she could gaze affectionately into his eyes. Rich lowered his mouth to her right breast. He took her nipple in his mouth and started kissing it, gently sucking on it. He gradually became more aggressive, rolling her bud between his teeth, flicking his tongue relentlessly over it. He gave attention to her other breast with his hand; tugging and squeezing. Annie couldn’t stop the whimpers that escaped her lips. She was getting overwhelmed again and started longing for sensitivity.  
“Kiss me,” she pleaded, desperate for him to relent from her nipples. He did stop, but he didn’t kiss her.  
“Excuse me?” he growled. Annie flushed red, worried by his gruff response.  
“Kiss me, please,” she repeated, her voice meek. A rough hand gripped her face. She flinched under his strong grasp.  
“You don’t call the shots, slut,” she winced at his words, “But, since you asked nicely…”  
He pulled his hand away from her jaw and brought his lips to hers. This time, it was Annie who found herself frantically trying to deepen the kiss. Her tongue swiped daringly across his lip and dipped into his mouth. Rich reciprocated, his tongue swirling against hers as he huffed hot air into her mouth.  
“Rich,” she whined breathlessly. Rich hummed in response to her moans. The room felt heavy as their lips continued thrashing together. Their breathing was loud and needy. Annie was overcome with love. She no longer cared about the throbbing sensation between her legs. She just wanted Rich to hold her. She felt tears well up in her eyes, unsure why she was getting so emotional. She sucked on Rich’s lower lip as their kisses calmed down. He matched her action, sucking on her top lip. Slowly, the kisses fizzled out. She was left longing once again. His lips pulled away from hers and she knew she was about to cry. She wanted to beg him for contact; no sex, just an affectionate embrace. She had no clue where her sudden sentimental desires came from and she couldn’t figure out how they overpowered her erotic desires. She was able to keep tears from spilling out of her eyes as she focused in on new contact. Rich had started forcefully sucking on her neck. The sound of his lips suctioning to her skin made her tremble. Rich let out a low and raspy groan right by her ear, which only intensified her shaking. She leaned her head back, giving herself to him. He worked on her neck for a few minutes, biting, kissing, licking and sucking. As he continued his ministrations, one of his hands started lazily tracing circles down her stomach. Her heart started beating faster as he brought his hand lower and lower. His movements slowed as he drew near her lower half. This time there was no underwear to work around. His fingers inched lower. _Yes, yes,_ she thought as he continued drifting his hand down and attacking her neck. His fingers were less than an inch away from her sensitive bud. He stopped his hand and she whined. Rich smirked against her skin and finally allowed her some relief. His fingers circled lightly along her clit. She gasped at the feeling, tossing her head to the side. She tried pushing her hips down to get more pressure, but Rich’s hand pulled away. Annie fought the urge to squeeze her legs together. Her face was screwed up in distress. He watched her struggle against the cuffs, breathing hard. She writhed around for a moment as the room fell into an apprehensive silence. Suddenly, she heard a low buzzing. She felt Rich kiss her just above her clit. Then, a gentle buzzing sensation pressed against her. _Oh god._ She yanked on the cuffs, longing to grab the sheets as he pushed the vibrator harder against her. She started moaning uncontrollably, the vibrator only making her throb more. When he switched it off and pulled it away, a fuzzy feeling spread from between her legs up to her head. She couldn’t take it. She tried to bring her legs together but Rich was sitting between them. As her calves bumped awkwardly against him, he looked away from her genitals and fixed his eyes on her face. She was biting her lip and breathing heavy.  
“Be good,” he warned. Annie shuddered at his threatening tone. He flicked the vibrator back on and pressed it against her clit. This time, the vibrations weren’t light and fuzzy. It pulsed intensely against her, making her whine in pleasure at the feeling. She felt one of Rich’s fingers slip inside of her. He hummed from the back of his throat.  
“God, you’re so fucking needy.”  
He pushed his finger deeper inside of her, her walls clenching around him. He began to pulse it in and out of her. Annie’s mouth was parted as weak moans slipped from her lips. Between the relentless attack on her clit from the vibrator, and Rich’s finger invading her heat, she felt powerless to her carnal pleasure. Another finger plunged inside of her. He was astounded by her deep arousal.  
“Is this what you wanted, slut?” he growled at her. She whined in response, reaching the edge. Before she could climax, Rich pulled his fingers out and switched off the toy. Annie whimpered, helplessly tugging at her cuffs.  
“You’re gonna have to beg for it.” Annie wasn’t sure if she’d be able to. Her voice felt lost. All she could do was pant and whine.  
“Tell me what you want me to do to you,” Rich ordered, refusing to touch her until she was begging for it.  
“Um, touch... touch me,” she stammered, her voice weak.  
“Where are your manners?” he scolded.  
“Touch me, please.” With that, Rich began gently tickling her stomach. Annie swallowed hard as Rich spoke again.  
“I guess you’ll have to be more specific. Where do you want me to touch you?”  
“Lower, please,” she requested softly. Rich’s hand moved excruciatingly slow down her stomach.  
“Lower,” she urged, her heart beating faster again as he got closer. He huffed out a small laugh. Annie was in no joking mood, her mind set on relieving her frustrations. His thumb dipped and pressed firmly on her clit as he gave it a leisurely rub. She groaned, arching her back into his touch. He kept punishing her bud with hard massaging motions. She writhed against him, whining for more pressure. He pulled his hand away again.  
“Rich, please,” Annie cried.  
“Please, what? What do you want me to do to you?” She couldn’t bring herself to say, the words getting caught in her throat. She tried to bring her legs together again but Rich dug his hands into her thighs, holding her spread apart.  
“If you don’t answer me, I’ll just have to keep teasing you.” She opened her mouth but her voice was cut off as Rich turned the vibrator on to it’s highest, pulsing setting. He shoved the toy deep inside her, making her whole body shake with the vibrations. His thumb went back to work on her clit. Leaning in near her face, he tried to kiss her. She found herself unable to close her lips around his. Her mouth stayed parted as she felt her body tense. She panted into Rich’s mouth, tugging on the cuffs that kept her under his thumb… literally. As she neared climax, her walls clenching around the vibrator, Rich stopped touching her, turning off the vibrator and pulling it out. Annie was still buzzing with the feeling. She couldn’t take it anymore. Rich was exceedingly satisfied by his control over her. He continually denied her orgasm and she grew more frustrated each time, panting harder and pulling wildly against the cuffs. As he was about to lower the vibrator to her clit again, Annie spoke, stopping him in his tracks.  
“Rich, please. Stop,” she whimpered.  
“What do you want?” he asked gruffly. Annie’s face was burning red. She couldn’t believe the words that escaped her lips next.  
“Fuck me, please.”  
“God, you’re pathetic. If only you could see yourself… all helpless and red with desire. You’re such a filthy whore, begging to be fucked.”  
She shifted uncomfortably as he demeaned her. Was it possible his humiliating words were arousing her? She gasped as he placed his hands firmly on her hips.  
“You even think you deserve it? Maybe I should just keep torturing you…” he threatened, growling softly.  
“You’re so beautiful. Powerless and frustrated. And you can’t do anything about it.”  
“Rich, please,” she begged, her voice breaking.  
“Look at you saying please! You’re so fucking desperate,” he grunted, pulling his pants off. He left her feeling vulnerable and belittled as he rummaged around his bedside table for a condom. Annie was sweating uncontrollably.  
“Rich, please… please.” He laughed. She was completely drunk on arousal.  
“You always act like such a good, innocent girl. If only the rest of the world could see you like this. How would they react to their sweet little Annie being such a desperate slut?”  
Annie wondered who he was referring to. Her friends perhaps? She didn’t dwell on the thought long, her mind was too occupied with her aching desire.  
“Rich,” she whimpered again.  
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m gonna fuck you.”  
She sensed him looming over her and felt pressure build between her legs as he started slowly pushing himself into her wet heat. She whined as he filled her up inch by inch. Annie had started getting used to the feeling. There was less pain, but it was still there. Rich was a big man and, quite literally, a lot to take in. Rich grunted as he held himself inside of her. He could feel every time she tensed; her walls would tighten around his cock. She could feel him too, every pulse of blood, every twitch. He didn’t go easy on her. He pulled out and rammed himself back in forcefully. Annie started crying out, finally getting what she’d been longing for. His hips jerked into hers, forcing her up the bed with each thrust. He kept slamming into her as she whined, swaying her hips in satisfaction. Her face was contorted, wrinkled with want and ache.  
“You fucking take it, whore,” he said, gritting his teeth as he pulled in and out of her mercilessly. Annie yanked her arms down, fighting her restraints as Rich fucked her into an intoxicated submission. Her moans got louder.  
“Fuck,” she panted. Annie rarely swore. She felt dirty saying sexual words and curses. But right now, dirty felt good. Her legs twitched involuntarily as she felt herself reaching climax. She started whining out his name between moans. Her back arched and her head tossed back. She pulled furiously on the cuffs, wanting nothing more than to dig her nails into his back as he pounded her. She yearned to feel him, more than just his cock. The sensation between her legs plus the unbearable longing for intimacy sent her over the edge. She let out one last cry before collapsing limply to the bed, her body shaking from her orgasm. Rich pulled out and collapsed beside her.  
“Wow,” he groaned, pulling off the condom. Annie tried to recover from her climax. Her body was overtaken with pleasure and she was breathing hard.  
“Rich, take off…” she huffed, tugging on the handcuffs. She felt her hands become free. She ripped off her blindfold, revealing teary eyes. She rolled over and cupped Rich’s face, pressing her lips firmly against his. He was taken by surprise. She pulled off and dipped her head, crying.  
“Annie,” Rich said, reaching out tentatively, worried by her sobs. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest.  
“Hold me, please, Rich. Please hold me. Please,” she repeated frantically between tears. Rich let his arms drape around her, pulling her in close.  
“Hey, it’s okay, I’m here.”  
“I love you,” she whispered, wanting nothing more than this. She didn’t care about anything else. She just wanted him to hold her; lovingly, protectively, wholly. He planted an affectionate kiss on her head as he gently started stroking her hair, slightly sticky with sweat.  
“I love you, too.”


	11. Critical Film Studies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one takes place before, during and after the episode. Major warning for abuse and emotional manipulation!

In the days that followed Annie and Rich’s game night, Annie had mainly been avoiding the study group. She’d be friendly with them in the halls, but would make up excuses for spending less time with them. Deep down, she really didn’t believe that they were bad people as Rich had tried to make clear. She still cared for them and felt heartbroken Rich wanted her to leave them behind. However, whenever she was with them, Rich’s words would sneak into her mind. She’d remember how passionately he mistrusted them. She trusted Rich and wondered if she had been looking at her friends through rose-coloured glasses. Tragically, it was Rich that she was putting on a pedestal, not her friends. After anthropology, Annie would leave the class with Rich. He would drop her off at his place and head into work. One day, before she could slip out, Britta tugged on her arm in the doorway, urging her to stay back. Rich allowed her to stay and catch up with Britta, but not without giving her a troubled look.  
“Annie, how are you?” Britta asked genuinely, a forced smile sitting on her face.  
“Fine. I was just about to go to Rich’s place,” she responded, motioning outside, “Why what’s going on?”  
“Nothing, nothing, I was just checking in!” Britta insisted as classmates pushed past them to leave.  
“If we didn’t know any better, we’d think you’re avoiding us,” Britta said jokingly, her eyebrows raised, smirking. Annie recoiled, screwing up her face perhaps a bit too much to seem genuine.  
“What? Nooo, no, not at all! Just… busy, busy! You know.” Britta nodded but the doubt was ever present in her eyes. All of the students had left, it was just her and Annie standing in the doorway… and Professor Ian Duncan, who was watching the girls intently from his desk.  
“Hey, do you mind? How about some privacy? Or at least as much privacy as we can get these days, _ayo_!” Britta sneered, jabbing her elbow cheekily into Annie’s side. Duncan obliged, grabbing his things and leaving for his office. Annie paused for a moment, wondering how Britta had gotten Duncan to leave without a fight. She pushed her query aside as Duncan muttered something as he passed them.  
“You will let me know if anything… frivolous happens, yes?” he said leering at them. Annie stepped back, pulling away from him and pulling her cardigan closed, preventing him from staring down her shirt. Britta rolled her eyes.  
“Leave,” she grunted, pushing him out and shutting the door behind him.  
“Look,” she started, turning her attention back to Annie who was still rigidly covering herself despite Duncan’s exit, “you’ve just seemed a little withdrawn recently and we’re getting worried about you. You know you can tell us anything, right?”  
_Well, my boyfriend told me over and over how you’re all dangerous and bad people, and I didn’t believe it at first, but I think that’s just because I didn’t want to believe it. Now, whenever I spend time with any of you, I can’t help but hyper-focus on your flaws and feel guilty for being with you despite his warnings,_ Annie thought. She just nodded and smiled curtly at Britta.  
“Totally.”  
Britta shook her head, subtly disappointed by Annie’s secrecy.  
“So, you’re still coming to Abed’s birthday, right?” Annie’s heart dropped. She had completely forgotten. She knew she’d have to fight with Rich for that, but the party was _tomorrow_ , and she couldn’t just back out now.  
“Yeah, of course!” she squeaked her voice higher than normal. Britta eyed her friend up and down with worry. Britta suspected Annie was experiencing withdrawal; fidgeting uncomfortably, sweating, and lying to her. She feared Annie would leave the school and take more Adderall. Britta didn’t know how to help her without directly accusing her of using. She bowed her head, giving up.  
“We miss you, Annie,” Britta whispered softly, still hanging her head. Annie’s put on chipper expression faltered, her lips quivering and eyes welling with tears upon hearing Britta’s compassionate love and concern. She took in a shaky breath, forcing a smile back on her face.  
“See you at the party, Britta,” she chimed sweetly, her voice breaking a little as she fled from the room to meet Rich in the parking lot.

Annie spent the afternoon holed up in Rich’s apartment, waiting for him to come home. She had schoolwork to do, but she was too busy fretting over the evening’s coming affairs to focus. She had made a dish of lasagna, hoping to win over his agreement with a hearty meal. When Rich got home, dinner was practically ready. She asked him about his day as she made the finishing touches, setting the table and tossing up a salad. They sat and ate happily together, though Annie struggled with her anxieties over asking Rich what he’d think of her attending Abed’s party. They finished eating and cleaned up together in the kitchen. The two then retired to his couch, cuddling together. Annie fingered a button on his shirt, circling and pulling on it. She figured she should drop the bomb on him after inciting the idea of possible intimacy within him. Her hands running over his chest, teasing the buttons, seemed to do the trick. He stared at her with a cheeky grin, amused by her frisky behaviour.  
“So, Rich,” Annie started, swallowing hard. She kept her voice soft and sweet, “a while ago I had made plans to celebrate Abed’s birthday. After… distancing myself from them, I sorta forgot about it. But now his party’s _tomorrow_ and I don’t think it’d be all that nice of me to cancel,” she explained. Rich listened, not offering any indication of his stance on the matter. She rolled her head up to look at him.  
“What do you think?”  
Rich sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair. He looked down to find her staring up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. He tossed his head slowly from side to side, seriously considering the situation.  
“Annie, you know how I feel about you spending time with those people,” he warned.  
“Oh, I know,” Annie agreed without hesitation, though deep down, she doubted his judgments, “But it’s just one night and I already got him a gift and everything. I’d be no better than them if I cancelled on them last minute.” Rich laughed at her convincing reasoning.  
“Well… tell me what the plan is.”  
Annie ran through the plan of the party. She made sure to tell him every last detail, down to the group’s costume choice. Rich nodded, silently evaluating the plan. Silence fell between them as she awaited his final answer.  
“I don’t know…” Rich hummed, shaking his head.  
“Oh, please,” Annie begged, tugging on his shirt some more, and gazing into his eyes flirtatiously; wondering if she clouded his mind with sex, he’d be more inclined to agree.  
“Oh, alright,” Rich sighed. Annie squealed throwing herself on him, elated that he’d succumb to her persuasion.

The day of the party came and Annie eyed herself self-consciously in the mirror of her bathroom. Her hair was tucked into the messy reddish, blonde wig. She looked psychotic. The dress she had found to mimic Yolanda’s from the film was hugging her body in a way that made her skin crawl. She tugged at the fabric as if that would fix anything. With a sigh, she turned to leave and drive to the diner.

The evening started off slow. Annie was reluctant to enjoy herself. The negative words Rich had implanted in her head regarding her friends were sticking out prominently. Britta was on edge, Troy was reveling in juvenile jealousy of Jeff, Shirley refused to acknowledge the real _Pulp Fiction,_ insisting the Christian version she’d seen was the true story, and Pierce was whining non-stop, not really caring about Abed’s party whatsoever. But, when Britta got news that Jeff was stuck at the restaurant with Abed, Annie knew she was going to be stuck with them for a while. She fought with herself. She was conflicted between what Rich had told her and what _she_ knew about her friends. She knew her friends were flawed people, but she was too. _Just because they’re not perfect like him, doesn’t mean they’re bad… right?_ she thought. She relented, opening up a bit more to them. She couldn’t keep up her reserved nature as the night dragged on.

By the middle of the night, Annie was truly enjoying herself. They had moved the party to the fancier restaurant. The group recreated scenes from the film, laughed, and reminisced over fond memories from the past, discussing what may lie ahead in the future. All of her friends were drinking. Shirley, being with child, and Annie, being underage, were the only two that stuck with their milkshakes. Despite her friends urging her to partake, she refused. Britta, Chang, and Pierce had gotten wildly drunk. Troy and Abed were slightly tipsy. Jeff had had a few drinks but handled his alcohol well, seeming near sober. As upbeat dance music played on the stereo system, Britta started dancing like a freak. She sang along sloppily to the music, inciting laughter from her friends. Troy and Abed joined in, dancing with her, and screaming along to the lyrics. Soon enough, everyone was dancing, but Jeff and Pierce. Jeff stayed seated, a drink in his hand as he watched his friends jump around like lunatics. His eyes kept falling guiltily on Annie. He felt great shame staring at her hips swaying in time with the music. Her dress was wrapped tightly around her chest, giving him a great view of her perky breasts, which bounced as she did. He forced his eyes off her and subtly palmed his crotch under the table, relieving the yearning sensation growing between his legs.  
“Jeff, get uuuppp,” Britta whined as she stumbled over to the table almost knocking Troy over. Jeff looked at her. She looked like a mess. Her hair was tousled, falling out from under her wig. Her face was all dopey and her limbs were loose and unsteady.  
“I think I’m good… maybe you should try some water instead. Heard it’s really good,” Jeff suggested, turning his gaze back to his drink. Britta wobbled over and plopped down in the chair beside him, placing an encouraging hand on his knee. Jeff glanced at her hand then looked up at her suspiciously. He waited for her to speak because she looked as though she had something to say, but she just gazed at him through glassy eyes.  
“Britta?”  
“Mmm,” she drawled, “Yeah, I was tryna think of something encouraging to say but my brain feels,” she brought her hands up and waved them around her head, “fuzzy… Look, it’s Abed’s birthday and Annie’s actually _here_ with us! She’s talking and acting normal… I think.”  
From across the room, Annie’s dancing had slowed as she listened in on Britta and Jeff’s conversation. Britta was quite loud anyway so it was hard not to listen.  
“Alls I’m sayings is,” she said, then paused to laugh at her words, “Jeff, you’d better enjoy this while we’re all still y'know... here.”  
Jeff shrugged, considering his options. He could sacrifice his dignity to dance around like a maniac with his friends, or sit glumly alone with Pierce. With a huff, he pushed up as Britta dragged him over to the rest of the group. They all cheered as Jeff started hopping around with them, his expression still sarcastic.

At around 2 am, the party came to an end, Britta was passed out in her chair, laying across Annie’s lap beside her. Annie was gently petting Britta, giving her shoulders soft rubs. Troy and Abed were competing in a staring contest but kept laughing drunkenly as they gazed fondly into each others’ eyes. Pierce and Chang were arguing, but not really over the same thing. They just kept yelling insults at one another. Shirley tried to diffuse the argument, but just got sucked into it when Pierce insulted her. The three kept shouting over one another while Jeff sat across the table from Annie and Britta, watching the drama of it all. Shirley left the two men in a heated rage, stomping over to the table, her lips pursed. It was sort of hard to take her seriously in her costume, but Annie flashed her a sympathetic look.  
“One of you two will have to take those _bastards_ home. They will _not_ be riding in my car,” Shirley declared, shaking her head. Jeff looked to Annie; the only other person sober enough to drive people home. She looked back at him, challenging him.  
“Well, whoever takes Pierce has to take Troy, too,” Annie explained.

The three started making arrangements to get the others home safely. Jeff ended up with Pierce and Troy. Shirley would take Britta and Abed. This left Annie with the not-too-easy task of handling Chang. Each scenario had their own challenges. Shirley was basically carrying Britta to her car, all while holding Abed’s hand to lead him out. Jeff reluctantly steadied Pierce while Troy raced clumsily into the passenger’s seat after screaming out, “shotgun!” Seeing as Pierce could hardly form words anymore, there was no argument there. Annie desperately wanted to keep Chang at arm’s distance, but he was really clingy when drunk.  
“You’re sitting in the back, Ben” Annie told him as she pulled her car door open. Chang protested with whines, but Annie just had to give him a little nudge and he tipped right over into the back seat.  
“Goodluck you guys,” Annie called out to Jeff and Shirley.

Thankfully for most of the drive, Ben was quiet, sleeping in the backseat. Annie reflected on the night, feeling overwhelmingly sad that that may have been the last night she’d spend with her friends. She wondered if she would be able to start seeing them behind Rich’s back. Maybe she’d make up a fake book club. She knew her lies would be revealed if ever Rich asked to meet the book club. She kept thinking in silent reflection. She already missed them.  
“Uh oh,” Chang mumbled from the back seat. Annie rolled her eyes, hoping nothing was severely wrong.  
“Ben, what’s wrong?” she asked.  
“Mmm, you got 14 missed calls, girl!” Annie’s heart dropped. She whipped her head around to find Chang rummaging through her purse, her phone in his hands.  
“Hey! You can’t go through my stuff!” she scolded. It was eerily silent in the car, Annie tried to peek around the back to see what he was up to, but she needed to focus on the road ahead. Next chance she got, she looked back and watched as he laid out her tampons, arranging them in a neat line. She cringed.  
“Ugh, Ben stop!”

Annie pulled up along the street name Chang had given her.  
“Okay, which building are you in?” she asked. Chang was chewing 8 pieces of gum he had taken from Annie’s purse, leaving a litter of wrappers around him.  
“Oh, here’s fine,” he mumbled around the wad of gum in his mouth. He started opening the door to leave. Annie stopped him.  
“Wait, no, Ben. You’re in no state to be walking around in the streets. I’ll drop you off at your place.” Chang pointed to an alley. Annie followed his finger and saw the alley with nothing more than a dumpster and a few cats.  
“Ben… are you homeless?” she asked softly. He shrugged in the back seat, looking down. She was furious that he'd made her drive all the way out of town, just to find out that he didn't have a place to live. Though she was mad at him for wasting her time, her heart went out to him. She never thought the day would come that she'd feel bad for him.  
“What happened to living with Jeff?” she asked.  
“I told him I was moving out. I needed to start striking out on the world on my own,” he declared. Annie shook her head.  
“I’m not leaving you _here_. Can I take you to Jeff’s place?”

Despite his protests and threats of throwing himself out of the car as she drove, she managed to get Chang up to Jeff’s apartment. She knocked on the door, holding Ben’s arm firmly to stop him from running away. Jeff answered the door in a grey t-shirt and briefs that hung loosely around his hips. Annie found herself blushing at his scruffy, rugged appearance. When Ben jerked to the side a bit, trying to flee, Annie snapped back to consciousness.  
“Can he stay with you, again? _Please_ ,” she begged quietly. Expecting resistance, she batted her eyelashes at him and pouted slightly, knowing those tactics could get him to do anything. Jeff stepped to the side, allowing Annie and Ben to walk in.  
“Yeah, blankets are still on the couch. I had a feeling this would happen,” he admitted. Chang walked over to the couch, bowing his head in defeat. Jeff turned to Annie who was watching Ben with sorrowful eyes. Feeling his gaze on her, she turned to him.  
“Hey, it was nice to see you tonight,” he said. Annie grew more red.  
“Yeah, nice to see you, too,” she whispered.  
“We’ve missed you. You know that, right?”  
Annie felt her heart strings pull agonizingly tight. Her throat grew hoarse and her eyes got wet. First Britta, now Jeff. Her friends were aware of her withdrawal and were just as torn up about it as she was.  
“Yeah, well… good night, Jeff,” she said, about to turn towards the door. Jeff stopped her, his fingers gently brushing her elbow as he reached out for her arm.  
“Annie,” he said quietly, pulling her eyes back to him. His arms were extended wide for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself into his chest. Breathing in, she smelled faint notes of scotch and his spiced cologne. She could hear his heartbeat and feel the comforting rise and fall of his chest. Jeff rubbed her back softly, pushing the heel of his hand against her spine. Annie held him tighter, feeling completely safe in his arms. Despite Rich’s critiques, Annie felt nothing short of beloved and cared for. As her arms loosened around him, he dropped his arms, pulling back. He smiled at her fondly as she turned to leave, allowing himself a moment of loving vulnerability.

As she drove to Rich’s place, she cried. She couldn’t stop replaying the last two years over in her mind. She loved her friends so much and didn’t know how she’d possibly move forward without them. Rich was right, they were flawed people, and, yes, sometimes they hurt her. But Annie knew they never meant to. They’d always bounce back from any falling out because they needed each other. They had been growing together, accepting life’s obstacles as long as they had each other. Her whole life, she had never been accepted and loved the way her study group had. Sure, she had had good friends, but after arguments with them, amends were made out of obligation to friendship, not because they truly wanted to fix past mistakes and move forward together like with her study group. In the elevator up, she wiped her face, smudging her mascara. She pulled off the wig, and her hair spilled freely out of her loose bun. She checked her phone. Ben was right; 14 missed calls. Each one was from Rich. She looked at the messages he’d sent.  
Rich: _Annie? It’s getting late, what’s going on?_  
Rich: _Hey, why won’t you pick up?_  
Rich: _Annie you’re scaring me._  
Rich: _Where are you?!_  
Rich: _Annie, come home right now._  
Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as she made her way to his door. She dug through her purse and found the key Rich had given her. It wasn’t in its usual pocket; Ben having thrown everything out of place. She smirked at his casual destructiveness. She wondered if she’d miss him, too. She unlocked the door and stepped in tentatively.  
“Rich?” she called out quietly into the black of the apartment. Her eyes landed on him. He was sitting on the couch. The bottle of scotch from Jeff was beside him, almost empty.  
_Oh…_  
“Where have you been?” he grunted. He eyed her with a dark uncertainty. She closed the door behind her, walking in.  
“I’m _so_ sorry. Abed had planned this weird dinner thing with Jeff so he got to the party late, and then we ended up moving it t-“  
“You said you’d be no later than 10. It’s almost 3 in the morning,” he interrupted, glaring at her as she sat down on the other end of the couch.  
“I know,” she whispered apologetically, “the night just didn’t go exactly as planned. We still had fun though! Abed loved everyone’s costumes and we-“ Rich stopped her again, shaking his head.  
“It’s those _friends_ of yours… I needed you tonight, Annie. And they kept you away from me.”  
“Rich, why? What happened?”  
“I had a _really_ hard day at work. Then I waited _all_ night for you to get home. You couldn’t even send me a text?” Annie was wracked with guilt.  
“I’m really sorry. I just got carried away, I was really enjoying myself. I guess I didn’t want the night to end because I knew afterwards, I’d have to go back to ignoring them,” she explained sadly.  
“Awh, boo-fucking-who,” Rich snarled, taking Annie by surprise, “They’re bad people, Annie. Getting them out of your life for good will change it for the better, you’ll see.”  
“I don’t know,” Annie shrugged, “Look, I’m _really_ sorry, Rich… I’m here now, if you wanna talk about your day?” Rich scoffed, rolling his eyes.  
“No, no, we’re not done with _you_ , yet. You say you were just ‘enjoying yourself’ too much to let me know you’d be home this late. What were you doing exactly?”  
“Just… talking, and dancing,” she replied, shrinking back at his accusatory tone.  
“Right,” Rich slurred, leaning his arms on his knees as he stared her down. He took in her messy makeup and dishevelled hair, “He fucked you, didn’t he?”  
“What?” Annie questioned in alarm. Rich shook his head, laughing in disbelief.  
“Yeah, yeah. You come home _hours_ late looking like _that_ , smelling of alcohol. You had sex with Jeff.”  
“No! _No,_ Rich I would never cheat on you, never. I didn’t drink anything, either. I think that smell _may_ be you,” she added softly, glancing at his empty glass.  
“Watch your tone! This isn't about me,” he warned, bringing an aggressive finger right up in her face. She recoiled back. He shook his head some more, muttering, “I can’t believe this,” under his breath. In a fit of rage, he shoved the books off the coffee table in front of him, standing up. Annie sat frozen still, mouth agape, unsure how to respond to his outburst.  
“What do you have to say for yourself?” he growled, staring down at her. She shook her head, denying his claims. She didn’t know how to talk Rich out of his blind wrath.  
“Rich I didn’t do anything, I _swear_ ,” she insisted. Rich’s face was overtaken with anger. He reached down aggressively, yanking Annie off the couch by her wrist. He pulled her in so he loomed over her hostilely.  
“Don’t you _fucking_ lie to me. You like him more than me! You’ve always liked him more than me!” he yelled, squeezing her wrist tighter. Annie whimpered in pain under his death grip. She started to cry.  
“Please, I didn’t do anything.”  
With that, Rich pulled back his arm and brought it down harshly on Annie’s face, punching her just below her eye. She nearly fell down, but he jerked her wrist back, pulling her up. She turned her face away from him, but he pulled her roughly, spinning her around to land another blow on her nose. This time, he let her fall to the ground. Before she could regain any strength, one of Rich’s hands wrapped in her hair, dragging her across the floor. Annie was shrieking in pain as she tried to crawl after him to cut down on the hair pulling. He tugged her up by her hair, shoving her back into the wall. A hand wrapped tightly around her throat, cutting off her sobs.  
“Admit it. You let him fuck you. You _cheated_ on me! You never loved me. You love _him_ ,” he yelled. Annie’s hands clawed desperately at Rich’s arms. She felt panic override her body as she struggled to take in a breath. Rich crushed her neck against the wall violently before letting go, letting her drop to the ground as she gasped and coughed for air. Annie raised a shaking hand to her neck, touching it sensitively as if she was checking to see if it was still there. Her wailing coughs turned into loud sobs, her eyes wet and swollen. She cried into the ground, her nose running and her face dripping with tears.  
“Yeah, keep crying. See if I care. You did this to yourself! I told you to stop seeing them and look what happened,” he shouted at her, “Get up.”  
Annie was shaking too much to stand. She kept crying breathlessly on the ground.  
“GET UP,” Rich bellowed, kicking her arms out from under her. She thudded against the hard floor. Rich kicked her again, this time in her gut. Annie groaned in pain and curled into a ball, trying to protect her face and stomach with her legs and arms. He continually kicked her and shouted at her. She flinched with every kick, but kept her body as guarded as she could. Infuriated by her lack of movement, Rich reached down and yanked her up, gripping her upper arm with a violent ferocity. He yelled in her face. She winced at his loud volume and the stench of alcohol on his warm breath.  
“You see what happens when you don’t listen to me?”  
“Rich, I didn’t-“ Annie wept. She was cut off when Rich struck her face again with a strong fist. He then threw her forcefully to the ground, kicking her jaw one last time.  
“Think about what you’ve done,” he ordered darkly, spitting on her before stomping to his bedroom and slamming the door. Annie stayed on the ground, coughing and sobbing. She cradled herself, ducking her head as she winced in pain. Her cries softened as she began hyperventilating, shaking madly. She struggled to breathe as the world around her swallowed her whole. The room faded into darkness as her body went limp.

Hours later, Annie awoke with a jolt. She tried to sit up, but her body was sore from the beating and stiff from laying on the floor. Her eyes lazily took in her surroundings. The room was blurry as her eyes were too swollen to fully open. Memories flooded back to her as she looked down at the dried blood on her dress. Her fingers ran over the red stain, drifting up to her nose to find it hard and crusty with dried blood. She pulled her hand back in disgust. She stayed on the ground until she trusted her legs enough to stand. Pushing herself up, she limped to the bathroom. A wave of hurt crashed over her as she flicked on the light and stared at herself in the mirror. The skin around her eyes was puffy. Her nose had a trail of dark red blood that was caked unpleasantly in her nostrils. There were bruises on her arms and neck from where he had seized her. She held back a cry, her vocal cords strained from the choking and crying. Her mind raced to come to an understanding. She delusionally concluded that this was _her_ fault for hanging out with her friends despite him telling her not to. This was the aftermath of not trusting and agreeing with him. She heard stirring in the bedroom. She gingerly left the bathroom and knocked on the bedroom door. Rich opened it, looking blankly down at her. He took in her beaten look; bruised and bloody. His face was expressionless; no visible remorse for his actions, and no visible pride for them either. Annie stood fidgeting in the doorway, looking insignificant and feeling unbelievably small.  
“I’m sorry,” Annie whispered, on the verge of tears. Rich huffed and grabbed her arm to pull her in for a hug. Upon feeling his hand wrap around her arm, she winced. He then threw his arms around her, trapping her in his embrace. Her heart stopped, she didn’t move or even breathe as he held her.  
“I love you,” Rich murmured, his voice hushed against her head.  
“I love you, too,” she whispered. The words came out stiff, as though she’d rehearsed them, or as if they were the only possible words to follow.

Annie stayed home from school that day. Rich left for work and she laid in his bed all day. At Greendale, the study group had just settled in for a session. Abed was winding down from a praiseful rant about _Cougar Town_ , the other members of the group just barely following along.  
“Hey, has anyone seen Annie today?” Britta questioned, shamelessly changing the subject. She observed the lethargic reactions of her friends. They all shrugged, shaking their heads.  
“She wasn’t in your bitches on the big screen class?” Pierce asked. Britta rolled her eyes.  
“It was feminist representations in the media, Pierce… and that was _last_ semester,” she rebuked. Pierce shrugged.  
“Maybe she was tired from last night?” Shirley suggested, “I mean, it was awfully tiring taking care of a bunch of drunks.” Her jab was delivered with a sickening sweetness. Abed shook his head.  
“Out of character… Annie would never miss school, no matter how tired.” Jeff looked up from his phone with a sigh.  
“Why does it matter? We’ve all missed classes before and no one’s cared. Why’s Annie any different? She probably just had a doctor’s appointment or something and didn’t tell anyone.”  
“Why wouldn’t she tell us?” Britta asked.  
“Maybe she’s looking for some privacy. You of all people should understand that.”  
“Hey, I’m concerned for a friend! I’m not some oppressive surveillance group that takes people's-“ Jeff cut her off before she could get too far into a rant about the consequences of extreme totalitarian governmental surveillance.  
“Well don’t let your concern get nosey, big brother.”  
“I’m not _nosey_. Annie would tell us if she was going to miss school. Something’s wrong… you know it, too.” Jeff turned back to his phone, refusing to acknowledge his concern for Annie.  
The group’s conversation drifted as they discussed their classes. The ended their meeting and went their separate ways. Though they were able to move forward, in the back of everyone’s minds was their missing member; _Annie_.


	12. Competitive Wine Tasting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place before, during and after the events of the episode. Warning for verbal, emotional and physical abuse.

Rich "apologized." He said he was sorry. He said he was sorry that he had to teach her a lesson. He never said he was sorry for hurting her. He admitted he may have overreacted and told Annie that she was allowed to keep seeing her friends. He made it clear that he should be in charge of who she spends her time with.  
“I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m gonna let you keep seeing your study group. I think part of me doesn’t like them because you like them so much. I need you to promise me you’ll spend more time with me and not them. You love me more than them, right? You know I'm better than them? You know I only want to protect you from people like them?”  
Annie agreed enthusiastically. She went to about half of the group’s study sessions and, Rich permitting, would spend some time with them outside of school as well. She avoided their unusually interrogative questions and tried to keep their conversations light.  
Rich still got angry with her. After hard days at work, he’d be especially sensitive. If Annie made one comment about his drinking, his language or his temper, he’d fly off the handle. She had gotten quite good at covering bruises with makeup. Though, sometimes, after really bad nights, she’d stay home from school. She wore longer sleeves and even added some turtlenecks to her wardrobe to keep her neck concealed. Rich seemed to like her conservative way of dressing. He noted that he was glad she no longer wore low cut tops, and told her that her next steps should be to look for less formfitting skirts. Annie accepted his possessive, angry behavior because in her mind, that was love. She dismissed the notion that love could be as she pictured it when she was younger; nose kisses and little post-it notes just to say, "I love you." Cooking together and watching movies late at night as they'd drift off on the couch. Clumsily dancing together, hugging one another for no reason and hushed conversations in the morning while their voices would still be rough from sleep. Just being together.  
Annie did her best to recreate her vision of love with Rich. They'd do romantic things together. Those were the moments Annie liked best. She didn't like the lack of eye contact. She didn't like the yelling. She didn't like the drinking or the hitting or the horrible feeling in her stomach when he demeaned her. Annie reasoned with herself and decided that love was taking the bad with the good. What she failed to understand, was that the "bad" shouldn't threaten her life and make her heart break with a sense of worthlessness.

Spring elective classes had started, but Rich told Annie she shouldn’t waste her time. She still browsed the catalogs, even though she knew Rich wouldn’t let her take another class. She listened enviously as the rest of the group discussed their new classes.  
She had missed the group’s session in which Pierce announced his engagement to Wu Mei. She heard about the whole affair through Shirley, later that day.  
“That poor young thing,” Shirley chimed regretfully, shaking her head, “I wonder what she sees in… _him_.” Annie shrugged. She knew Pierce was offensive and ill-mannered, but she also knew he could be kind, soft, and affectionate.  
“I don’t know... I think it’s sweet. Are we gonna do anything to celebrate the engagement?” she asked. Shirley hummed, pursing her lips and shaking her head.  
“I don’t think so. Jeff says she’s just using him.”  
“Oh, what?” Annie scoffed in disbelief, hurt but not shocked by Jeff’s cynicism.  
“I’d like to think that they have a real connection, too, believe me. But Jeff’s _positive_ it’s not real love.”  
“I’ll talk to him,” Annie decided, “He can’t tear them apart just because _he_ doesn’t agree with it!”

Annie found Jeff in the study room. She watched from the door as Wu Mei rose, shaking Jeff’s hand. As the young woman left, Annie strutted in, hugging her books close to her chest.  
“Why were you grilling her?” she questioned in an accusatory tone. Jeff turned his attention to Annie and nodded a greeting.  
“Annie, that’s Wu Mei. She’s in our Italian wine tasting class and Pierce- “  
“Is going to marry her. I know, Shirley told me. So, why are you trying to get between them?” Jeff frowned down at Annie.  
“She’s using him. I know it. Now, I’m no shrink, but a marriage based on anything other than _actual_ love and respect is a total sham and completely unhealthy.”  
“And what do you know about real love? Just because _you_ haven’t found it yet doesn’t mean you get to ruin it for people that have,” her words came out harsher than she expected. Jeff crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.  
“Y'know, it wouldn’t kill you to support your friends once in a while. Rich was right; you can be totally self-centered,” she jabbed under her breath. She turned to go in a huff, but Jeff’s strong hand seized her shoulder. There was a desperate urgency to his grasp but it was still gentle. There was no trace of intentional violence or anger to it like when Rich would grab her. He spun her back around with a small nudge.  
“Rich said that about me?” Jeff demanded in shock. Annie nodded, looking shyly at the ground, wondering if she’d said too much. Jeff faltered for a moment, thrown off by Rich's claims. The Rich Jeff knew would never dream of uttering any negative comments about anyone ever. _Am I really that bad that **Rich** could say that about me?_ he wondered glumly. But, his self-assurance quickly took over as he pushed his doubts aside. He _knew_ there was something up with Pierce and Wu Mei’s relationship and he had convinced himself that his investigation was to help Pierce and not to force him to end up alone. His hand dropped off Annie's shoulder and fell back down to his side.  
“Whatever. Maybe if you were here more often you would’ve seen what I have. It’s not real love, Annie... and you shouldn’t act like you know any more about love than I do,” he snapped. Annie’s eyes flashed up to meet his, her face turning red with anger. How dare he lecture her on love. The man that kissed her when he already had two other women fighting over him. The man that then pushed her aside upon their return to school because he saw the kiss as nothing more than a mistake. She glared at him with all the bitter memories backing her fury.  
“Oh, and what does that mean?” Jeff considered his next words carefully. He had so much he wanted to say, but he knew it would only hurt her or put her in a difficult position. He wasn't sure he was even thinking clearly so he kept his mouth shut. His nostrils flared and he sucked in his lips as he fought with the truth trying to claw its way out of his throat.  
“Forget it,” he growled, turning to leave. This time it was Annie that pulled him back. She reached out with shaky confidence and pulled on his arm. He turned back around to meet her fierce gaze. As he swiveled abruptly to face her, she shrunk back. He saw a curious fear in her eyes, as if she was scared he was about to lash out. Her fear was poorly covered by a timid courage. Jeff’s heart sank. All desire to shout at her drained from his body. He sighed.  
“What?” he asked impatiently.  
“What do you mean?” she pressed. Her eye contact was unwavering despite her unease. He shook his head.  
“It doesn’t matter,” he replied, his voice softer than before. Her grip on his arm softened but her hand stayed attached.  
“It matters to me,” she affirmed. Jeff locked eyes with her again. His heart rate spiked as he picked up on the hopeful, needy look in her eyes. His gaze dropped indulgently to her pouty lips. He opened his mouth to speak but his throat suddenly felt dry and choked up. Annie gave his arm an encouraging squeeze but Jeff just pressed his eyes shut tightly and pulled back. Even though Jeff didn’t want to hurt Annie in any way, a spark of frustration spurred him on.  
“Look, I’m sorry my lack of faith in ‘love’ has disappointed you. I’m sorry we can’t all blindly trust that people always have good intentions like you can. I’ll try to be supportive but I’m just not super on board with watching Pierce get suckered into a loveless marriage.” Annie’s mouth fell open and her eyes fluttered, offended by his words.  
“It isn’t loveless-“  
“Yeah, whatever you say,” Jeff tossed, storming out of the room before she could stop him again. Annie stood alone in the room. She chewed on her lip and clenched her fists as she fought back tears.

Annie had begged Rich to let her go to Pierce’s engagement party. She had lent a hand in organizing it and desperately wanted to go to show her support. Rich only agreed as long as he could go with her. Picking a dress for the occasion was no easy feat. She only had one dress that had a high neck. It was a casual, grey sweater dress. She usually kept it for winter. It wasn’t very formal but it was the best she could do. At the restaurant, she couldn't stop sweating. Rich stuck by her side like glue, his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. Her face was burning red and she kept shifting uncomfortably under Rich’s heated touches.  
“Rich, can you…” she wiggled out of his grasp and turned to face him. He eyed her suspiciously, “I’m just… I’m really hot,” she excused, tugging at the dress’s neck. She caught a glimpse of anger and mistrust flash across his face. He pursed his lips and bowed his head, being nothing less than agreeable whilst in public.  
“Yeah, fine,” he whispered graciously.  
Rich was an extremely pleasant guest. He complimented everyone on their looks and outfits, smiling the whole time. They settled into their seats for the meal. Before dinner could start, Annie had noticed Britta was being overly friendly with Troy. She wondered if her friend was just a little tipsy. When Britta drank she’d often get a little touchy-feely, which never really bothered Annie. Abed had also noticed Britta’s heightened affections towards his best friend and knew immediately Troy was still pretending to be a "broken man" to win Britta’s love. Abed shared curious glances with Annie who was equally invested in the strange relationship evolving in front of them. However, every time Annie would flash Abed a look, Rich would place his hand on Annie’s shoulder or squeeze her knee to pull her eyes off her friend and back to him.  
When Britta made the announcement about Troy’s assault, the group fell into shock. Troy then revealed the story wasn’t real. No one had time to digest the whole scenario before Jeff exposed Wu Mei’s true intentions. Annie flushed red. Partly because of her uncomfortably warm dress, and partly because Jeff had been right. Their love wasn’t real. She cursed her naivety and stared sadly at the table, feeling empty. The last shreds of her faith in real love flew away from her weak grasp. The party had failed. People were starting to leave. Britta left in a huff, enraged with Troy’s behavior. Troy felt extremely guilty for having lied and for having hurt Britta. He left with Abed who didn’t know how else to comfort his friend other than to just be with him. Rich slung his arm around Annie’s shoulder and leaned in. She squirmed uncomfortably, irritated by his hot breath on her already hot neck. Rich pulled back, offended by Annie’s resistance.  
“I’m going to use the restroom, then we’ll leave,” he told her as he walked away. Annie nodded and paced slowly over to the exit, leaning against the wall. She watched as Jeff went in the bathroom as well, passing by a sad looking Pierce at the bar. She walked over to join him. She placed a comforting hand on his arm as he turned to look at her.  
“I’m sorry… she wasn’t the fiancée you were probably hoping to have,” she offered sympathetically. Pierce shrugged.  
“Oh, no. Not sure what I expected. I mean after 7 wives you’d think I’d learn I’m not meant for true love.” Annie shook her head sorrowfully, hurt by his pessimism, but unsure she'd be able to cheer him up given her newfound grim outlook on the concept of love.  
“Pierce you can’t blame yourself for this. Just because you haven’t had that much luck with romantic relationships in the past doesn’t mean you can’t find true love! You have to know, you aren’t unlovable. I mean, hey, I love you! That proves you’ve got to be doing _something_ right,” she consoled, giving his arm a gentle rub. Pierce eyed her face, drinking in her kind sincerity. His eyebrows jumped up playfully.  
“Message received. What are you doing after this?” he asked, leering at her. She smacked his arm, scolding him as he laughed insisting that he was joking. He nodded his head, calming down.  
“Well, thank you, Annie. You’re a good kid.” With that he turned to hug her but she leaned away, pushing against his chest.  
“Oh, I’m just a bit hot in this dress. We’ll uh… put a rain check on that hug?” she asked sweetly. Pierce looked her up and down, noticing the beads of sweat resting on her reddened face.  
“Huh, yeah, you do look really hot. But not like an attractive hot. You look… sick. But, not like a cool sick. You actually look like you’re going to pass out or something. You look gross,” he rambled. Annie nodded. She was amused rather than insulted by his brutal honesty.

Meanwhile in the men’s room, Rich was zipping up his pants as Jeff walked in, making his way to a urinal.  
“Oh, hey Jeff!” Rich smiled, “Interesting party, huh?” Jeff rolled his eyes. He was already irritated by Rich's good-natured bullshit. After Annie had admitted that Rich called him self-centered, Jeff wondered what else he had said. Though Jeff knew he should just let it go, he was feeling overwhelmingly annoyed and had little patience for Rich’s fake sweet charade.  
“Oh, yeah,” Jeff chimed, sarcastically imitating Rich’s tone, “Hey, guess it was pretty _self-centered_ of me to cause a scene like that, right? I mean even though I had good intentions and just saved one of my friends from a total lie of a relationship, I’m just a big ole’ jerk, huh?” Rich turned the tap off and walked over to grab a paper towel, glancing at Jeff in the mirror. Jeff’s arms were crossed and he stood tall, glaring at Rich.  
“What are you talking about, buddy?” Rich laughed; his smile still plastered on his face. Jeff’s anger grew.  
“Don’t _buddy_ me, Rich. Annie told me you said I was self-centered,” Jeff snarled. Jeff caught Rich’s slight hesitation as he pulled another towel from the dispenser.  
“She said that, did she?” Rich questioned, his voice suddenly more serious, though he kept smiling. Jeff nodded.  
“Mhm, and hey, since your whole ‘I’m a good person’ cover has been blown, why don’t you share what else you’ve been saying about me?”  
Rich turned to Jeff with a look of contempt. Jeff was slightly taken aback. He had never seen Rich look more intimidating. His eyes were slightly squinted and his smile had an unmistakable threatening air to it.  
“Only the truth, Jeff. See, Annie’s sweet. A bit naive, maybe. She overlooks character flaws so she can see the good in everyone. Now, that leaves me no choice but to worry about her. See, I don’t want people like _you_ taking advantage of her,” Rich explained as he slowly walked towards Jeff. Though Jeff was taller than Rich, Rich invaded Jeff's space with such power and casually claimed dominance that Jeff almost found himself backing away. He forced himself to stay put though, meeting Rich’s challenging, confrontational eyes.  
“And what ‘character flaws’ has she overlooked in you, then?” Jeff asked, squinting menacingly at Rich. Rich’s hoity condescending grin widened as he bowed his head laughing. He patted Jeff’s shoulder, shaking him a little before stepping in even closer.  
“It was nice talking to you, Jeff.” Rich pushed past him and left the men’s room with his head held high. Jeff snorted forcefully out of his nose, worked up from the tense interaction. In that moment, he wasn’t sure it was possible to hate Rich any more than he did.  
Walking out of the bathroom, Rich stopped by Pierce and Annie, grabbing Annie’s wrist a little too strongly. He nodded at Pierce.  
“Sorry, man. Enjoy your night.” Pierce was caught off guard by Rich’s unusual curtness. He watched on curiously as Rich gave Annie’s arm a little yank, pulling her away. Annie tripped forward and followed Rich out, glancing back over her shoulder to wish Pierce a good night. Pierce waved and then turned back to his drink, puzzled by Rich’s unfamiliar gruff side.

While Pierce confronted Jeff upstairs in the restaurant, Rich dragged Annie down the stairs and outside, into the parking lot. She struggled to keep up with his powerful strides. She couldn’t stop to slow down as his hand gripped her arm with unrelenting fury. He didn’t speak to her. Even when she asked him to slow down, he just kept charging ahead to his car.  
“Get in,” he ordered, dropping her arm to unlock the doors.  
“Are you mad at me?” she asked, standing meekly by the back of the car. Rich shook his head no, but Annie could see his red face and the veins popping out of his forehead as he fumbled with the keys. He pulled open the passenger side door and nodded to the car.  
“Go.” Annie didn’t move. She looked at him worriedly. Rich glared at her.  
“Annie,” he warned, his face stiff with rage. Annie’s heart strings pulled painfully tight as she approached the car. Rich guided her in and then slammed the door shut, walking around to the other side. Her mind was racing trying to figure out what made him so mad as he jumped into the driver’s seat, gruffly shoving in his keys and starting the engine. He reversed out of his spot all too quickly, not looking behind him at all.  
“Woah,” Annie breathed, shocked by his hasty movements. He peeled out of the parking lot, his hands gripping the wheel harshly.  
“Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?” she asked softly as Rich lurched to a stop at the red light. He was seething, his lips pressed tightly together. His teeth were clenched and his face was burning red as he jerked the car forward once the light turned green. She could hear his huffy breathing over the roaring engine as he sped down the streets.  
“Rich?”  
“How _dare_ you speak to _him_ about what I told you between _us_ ,” he accused, frowning at the road ahead, his fists clenched around the wheel.  
“What?” Annie asked in confusion, silently begging he slow down. His foot pressed harder on the gas. he kept switching lanes to pass the other cars, much to their displeasure. People started honking at his reckless driving.  
“You told Jeff I thought he was selfish,” he explained, still refusing to look at her. Annie’s heart sank. She knew she was in trouble.  
“Rich I-“  
“I didn’t even want you around him anymore. Now you’re _gossiping_ with him about what I say? Grow up, Annie. This isn’t high school,” he barked. Annie nodded, only half listening to his words as he blew past a stop sign. Luckily, no one got in his way.  
“Rich, please, slow down,” Annie asked, her voice cautious and calm despite the fear pulsing through her.  
“You treat me like I’m some possessive leech all night. Shrinking away from me, making faces with your friends… then I find out you’ve been _tattling_ on me to _him_?!” He took a sharp right, the tires screeched on the road.  
“You are such a little bitch, you know that?” Annie’s heart was racing, she felt her throat tighten and her eyes wet with tears. She was sweating now more than ever, “You wanted to cause some drama, huh? I cannot believe you. What were you thinking? Why did you tell him what I said? You wanted to make me look bad? What else did you tell him?” Annie gripped the car door as he starting swerving around other cars.  
“Rich, _please_ slow- slow down,” she repeated with more urgency.  
“Answer me, you cunt,” he yelled. Annie’s eyes shut tight.  
“I- I told him because he- he was trying to break up Pierce a-and Wu Mei. I was... I was just mad at him and- and told him you thought he was self-centered because… ‘cause he was being self- self-centered. I- I didn’t know he’d confront you about it I-… I didn’t… I’m sorry,” Annie cried. Rich didn’t slow down. She expected him to ease up once she had answered him, but he just pressed the gas harder.  
“Rich, please!” Her grip tightened on the car door.  
“Fuck you, Annie. Fuck you! God, you’re so fucking stupid. What’s going on between you two, huh?”  
Annie started crying harder. Her face was unpleasantly contorted with fear. She found herself scanning the streets through tearful eyes in hopes of seeing a police officer to pull him over. She looked at the street names. They weren’t too far from his apartment.  
_It’ll be over soon_ , she reassured herself.  
“What? You expect me to feel _bad_ for you? Go ahead, keep crying. You did this to yourself the second you decided to go behind my back!” he yelled. She kept apologizing through her sobs.  
“Oh, shut up, bitch. How do you expect me to ever trust you again when you do shit like this, huh? I’m just trying to protect you from assholes like him. You think he wants anything more than to fuck you? You’re delusional. He doesn’t _care_ about you. He’s not your _friend_. So, why do you constantly turn to him and complain about me?” Annie cut off Rich’s rambling when she spotted pedestrians crossing the street up ahead. She thrust her hand forward, pointing at them.  
“RICH, STOP!”  
He slammed his foot on the break. The two lurched forward and slammed back into their seats. Annie was still crying and Rich was breathing heavy. The pedestrians hurried across the street, glaring at Rich and sharing worried looks. He huffed one last time before pursing his lips again and driving more coolly to his apartment. Annie started calming down but her body was still shaking with fear.

He pulled up to his building and parked the car, turning the engine off. He slumped back in his seat with a sigh.  
“Come on,” he grumbled to Annie. She was cowering in her seat, her eyes puffy from crying.  
“I... I think I’m just gonna go home,” she whispered softly, looking at her lap. Rich turned to her, scoffing in disbelief.  
“No, you’re coming inside with me.”  
She shook her head, ‘no.’ Rich glared at her.  
“Sure, fine. How’re you getting home, then? _I’m_ not driving you. You can’t walk, that’d take forever,” Annie didn’t answer. She just sat stiffly, avoiding his angry eyes, “You gonna call your good ‘friend’ Jeff? I'm sure he’d _gladly_ take you home.”  
Before he could start yelling again, Annie shook her head insistently.  
“No, I’ll call a cab,” she said. Rich huffed, ignoring her perfectly sane suggestion.  
“Why do you even want to go home? Just come inside with me.”  
“No, Rich… I don’t feel…” she paused, knowing her next word would cause an outburst, but she had to communicate openly with him. See, unlike Rich, Annie was capable of fostering a healthy relationship, “safe.”  
“You don’t feel safe? You don’t feel _safe_?! All this started because I was _trying_ to keep you safe. I only point out your friends’ faults because you’re too fucking senseless to see them yourself. I didn’t expect you to start sharing our private conversations with everyone.”  
“I’m sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. But… I’d just rather go home… please.”  
Rich hummed, shrugging rudely.  
“Well, unfortunately you don’t get to make that decision. Upstairs, let’s go,” he ordered as he reached over to undo her seat belt and then his own. He popped open his door and slid out, waiting for Annie to follow.  
“No,” she said, staring at the ground. He paused, taken aback by her continued resistance.  
“What did you say to me?”  
“ _No._ ”  
Anger took him over once again as he slammed his door shut and stomped over to Annie’s side. Her heart started racing. She tried to hold the door shut but Rich ripped it open and grabbed her.  
“No! No!” she protested, leaning away from his grasp. He held her firmly, pulling her off the seat. She swiftly swiveled around and landed a harsh kick on his stomach. While she wasn’t the strongest, Rich wasn’t expecting the attack so it did quite well. He pulled his hands back and brought them protectively to his gut. Her stomach twisted as she realized fighting back may not have been the wisest idea. Shrinking back in the seat, she had no where to go. Rich caught his breath before a dark look washed over him. He reached his hand back in the car. Annie tried to swat it away, but he landed a strong slap across her face. With the back of her head exposed to him, he grabbed a fistful of her hair. She yelped and threw her hands behind her head, trying to unhinge his fingers. As she cried and struggled against him, he tightened his grip and rammed her head into the dashboard. Her body instantly fell limp.

Annie woke up sweating in his bed. Her whole body ached in pain. She brought a weak hand to her head and rubbed her temple. It felt inflamed. The unusual swelling feeling on her head sent shivering aches down her spine. The rest of her body felt numb, as it usually did after Rich would beat her. As she regained consciousness, she realized she was completely naked. She shifted around, turning to see Rich asleep beside her. She slowly peered under the covers. He was nude as well. Her mind raced to remember how the evening ended up this way. The last thing she remembered was fighting with him in the car. She recalled kicking him. The rest was a total black out. She turned back around and lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She strained to remember something... anything. She couldn’t sleep as she relentlessly searched her mind. _What happened?_

She stayed home from school the next day, feeling too shaken up and lost to confront the world. This of course meant she never got to see Jeff’s warm gesture to Pierce in bringing back Wu Mei for a date. In Annie’s mind, Rich had been right about her friends all along and she cursed herself for ever getting involved with them.


	13. Paradigms of Human Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a shorter, simpler chapter because things have been really intense lately. No real warnings for this one... just some brief discussions about addiction. Takes place during the episode.

“Alright, Rich is gonna be here any minute,” Annie chimed, glancing at her watch, “we’re almost done, right?”  
The group hummed agreements, adding finishing touches to their diorama. Despite Rich's warning words in the back of her mind, Annie still liked spending time with her study group. She was definitely more aware of their quirks and flaws, but she didn't share the same sentiment for them that Rich had. She doubted with fleeting hope that they'd ever truly cause her any harm.  
“I think so! Oh, Troy, can you pass me that paintbrush?” Shirley smiled. Troy nodded. He was reaching for the paintbrush when Annie’s Boobs appeared out from under the table and grabbed the brush before Troy could take it. His face fell in surprise. He gasped at the sight of his missing friend and watched as his monkey scampered away into the air vent with the paintbrush.  
“My monkey!” he shouted, grabbing the attention of the rest of the study group. They watched as Annie’s Boobs slipped away.  
“My monkey took that paintbrush and then went into that vent! Oh, I miss him _so_ much!” Troy said as he crouched by the vent, “Someone’s got to go after him!”

Ben shocked the group by sliding into the vents. He brought back tons of little knick-knacks. The table was littered with memorabilia from the year. Annie scanned the desk, she only recognized some of the souvenirs. She wondered what she had missed when she was with Rich. She found a CD from Some Worries. She looked at Vaughn’s face on the cover with a nostalgic fondness. He had treated her so well. He never pressured her and truly just wanted her to be happy. Her thumb gently brushed the cover of the CD as she gazed at it, getting lost in time. Her attention snapped up as Britta called on her.  
“Annie, look! All of your purple pens are here!” Annie gasped and grabbed the pens with perhaps too much eagerness. “Do you remember when you got so mad because you thought someone was stealing them?” Annie thought back to the high tension she imposed on the group.  
“There are so many memories in this pile,” Britta gushed, thumbing through the stuff, “Look!”  
Britta held up a sheriff’s badge that caught Jeff’s attention from across the room.  
“Woah, the deputy’s badge from when we spent that day in that old ghost town,” Jeff recalled, taking the star badge from Britta. The group thought back to their day in the old west. Annie shrugged. She must’ve missed that trip.  
“Oh yeah, Annie, you weren’t there,” Britta frowned.  
“Oh, well you remember this one, right?” Jeff asked as he pulled out the mini trophy from their time filling in for Glee Club. Annie did remember that. However, the memory of the rehearsals and performances were muted by the beating she endured afterwards from Rich for getting too close to Troy on stage. She pouted at the ground as the others reflected back.  
“You guys, let’s just focus on the project. I’m gonna have to leave soon,” she reminded them, walking back to the diorama. Britta looked to Abed and gave him a nod. Abed then turned to Pierce and referred the nod, gesturing to Annie and then the door with his eyes. Pierce looked confused for a moment but when he looked to Britta, she pointed at Annie and then pretended to pop a pill. Pierce nodded, winked, and then left down the hall.  
“Where is he going? Hey Pierce, we’re not done!” Annie shouted after him. She looked confusedly at her friends as they just allowed him to leave without explanation. She frowned at their inactivity and decided to go after him herself. She paced towards the door but Troy slid in front of her, blocking the exit. Britta put a firm hand on her shoulder. Annie turned out of her friend’s grasp and backed up a few steps.  
“What?” she questioned. She looked from Jeff’s disinterested expression, to Shirley’s look of worry and Britta’s not-so-subtle ‘I’m gonna help you’ face. Her friends were all in on something and she was completely out of the loop.  
“What’s going on?” she reiterated.  
“Annie, we’re your friends. We’re here for you. We understand things can get hard sometimes… and we just need you to know that you can always turn to us,” Britta explained softly, stepping in closer. Britta approached her cautiously as if she was a wild animal.  
“Or Jesus,” Shirley smiled from her chair. Jeff rolled his eyes.  
“Guys, are we really doing this now?”  
Britta swatted the air towards Jeff, showing no patience for his lack of participation.  
“Point being,” Britta continued, “you don’t need to turn to your pills.”  
Annie shook her head, her face screwing up in confusion.  
“Woah, what?”  
“The first step is admitting there’s a problem,” Britta said.  
“One of the more… _progressive_ churches in my neighborhood has a drug rehabilitation service. I can introduce you to the pastor that runs the program,” Shirley offered.  
“She doesn’t need a church service, Shirley. She needs her friends,” Britta retorted.  
“I’m just giving the girl some options!” Shirley insisted defensively. Annie shook her head again, holding up her hands.  
“I don’t understand, why do I need rehab?”  
The group fell into silence. Troy spoke up from his guarded position at the door. He stood with his legs wide apart, prepared to tackle her down if she tried to make a run for it.  
“Well… you’re back on Adderall, right?”  
“No?” The group fell into silence again.  
“Well, I hate to be the ‘I told you so’ guy but… what did I say?” Jeff jabbed. Britta shook her head.  
“She’s lying. Abed,” Britta said. Abed nodded at jogged towards Annie’s purse.  
“Hey!” Annie shouted. She turned to get her bag before Abed, but Britta and Troy crowded her into the wall, allowing Abed to dig through Annie’s purse. She knew she didn’t have to worry about him finding her gun. She left it in a shoe box under her bed at her apartment. She had spent the last few days with Rich so she didn’t need to carry it around with her. Though that wasn’t an issue, she still justifiably wasn’t comfortable with Abed going through her stuff.  
“Guys, stop!” she pleaded.  
“It’s for your own good!” Britta insisted.  
“I don’t know if I can handle another psycho Annie moment,” Troy mumbled, shaking his head as he remembered dark memories from her high school addiction.  
“Wow, this ‘friendly intervention’ is starting to look more and more like actual torture. It’s almost as if this was a bad idea from the beginning… y’know since none of us are qualified to treat a pill addiction and, oh! Annie doesn’t have one,” Jeff commented as he watched Annie writhing against Britta and Troy’s grasp on her arms and shoulders. Abed kept pawing around in her purse. He shook his head, tossing her bag on the couch.  
“Nothing.”  
Troy’s grip loosened and Annie yanked herself free from his hands. Britta was still reluctant to let her go.  
“Well, we’ll see what Pierce brings back,” she said. Annie turned to Britta.  
“What do you mean? Where’s Pierce?”  
“Searching your locker,” Abed told her. Annie’s jaw dropped in shock. She didn’t know where to start.  
“Don’t be mad at us, An-nie. We were only worried about you since you’ve been acting all skittish and withdrawn,” Shirley excused sweetly, shaking her head.  
“I have not,” Annie said defending herself. The group responded with unconvinced hums.  
“You’ve missed like half our study sessions,” Troy pointed out, “a few classes, too.”  
“You keep ignoring our messages when we ask to hang out,” Britta added.  
“You’ve been uncharacteristically pessimistic and bleak,” Abed concluded.  
Annie’s mouth flew open with an offended scoff. Before she could try to excuse her actions, Pierce wandered in with a half empty pill bottle. The group’s eyes turned to him as he gave the bottle a little shake.  
“Busted,” he snickered, tossing the bottle to Britta. She dropped Annie’s arm and caught the bottle, turning her head to Annie in disappointment. Annie forgot she kept her medication in her locker. She no longer took the pills as per her prescription. Throughout rehab, she had slowly been waning herself off of the drugs. Despite being advised against it, she kept the pills as a reminder of what she had over come. Deep down, part of her knew she was holding on to them ‘just in case.’ The room was tense and silent. Jeff was eating his words. He wondered if her addiction really was getting bad again. He kicked himself for ever resisting helping her.  
“Annie?” Britta prompted, holding the bottle in front of her, “Do you have anything t- Pierce! These are your painkillers!” Annie’s eyes jumped to the pill bottle as she read the label. She felt a wave of relief wash over her as Britta gruffly handed the bottle back to Pierce.  
“What? But I found…” Pierce fumbled around with the bottle and pulled another one out from his shirt pocket.  
“Oh, it’s this one. Here. Here’s Annie’s Adderall.” As he handed Britta the other bottle, he laughed to himself about how ‘Annie’s Adderall’ sounded. Britta read the label and then sighed, handing the bottle to Annie.  
“Look, it’s not what you think. I haven’t taken any in a really long time! I mean look, _look_! Look at the date on the prescription!” she urged, thrusting the bottle back into Britta’s hands. Britta noted the last refill date was from early last year. She looked up at Annie, eyeing her suspiciously.  
“She could be using an old bottle and refilling it herself,” Abed suggested, pointing at the bottle. The group gasped, immediately accepting Abed’s theory.  
“How do we know it’s even Adderall? An-nie could be getting harder drugs off her particularly godless street,” Shirley pouted.  
“I’ll check them out,” Britta offered quickly. She unscrewed the bottle and tipped out a few pills, ready to give them a try.  
“Britta, stop!” Annie shouted, covering Britta’s hand. Britta begrudgingly poured the pills back into the bottle.  
“You guys are just going to have to trust me. I’m not on anything, I promise,” Annie pleaded sincerely.  
“Then what’s been going on with you this year?” Britta asked. Annie’s eyes dropped to the ground and she shrugged.  
“Maybe I’m just stressed,” she said. The group was dissatisfied with her answer.  
“Do you… not like us anymore?” Troy asked softly, looking at her with big, sad eyes. Annie shook her head insistently.  
“No, of course I still like you! You guys are my family!”  
Britta’s arms were crossed and she was staring glumly at the ground. Shirley was gently rubbing her stomach and shaking her head from her seat. Pierce shrugged, pouting, while Troy and Abed shared a dejected glance. She turned to Jeff hoping for one shred of support but he didn’t know what to think anymore. He just sighed, refusing eye contact. Annie felt like she was about to cry. She didn’t know what she could say that would convince them. From the couch, her phone started buzzing in her purse. She walked over to grab it before Abed started rifling through it again.  
Rich: _I’m here… ready to go?_  
She sighed and started typing a response.  
Annie: _Yeah… I’ll be out in a few minutes! Just have to finish up <3_  
She tucked her phone away and turned back to her friends. They were busying themselves with the diorama, their backs turned to her. Her words caught in her throat but she knew she couldn’t just leave them on such a low note.  
“You guys?” she started. They turned to her with doubtful, heavyhearted eyes, “Look I- ugh… I don’t know what to say. I just… I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve been a bit of a recluse recently. I don’t know how to magically fix everything with a Winger-esque speech… so… can we settle for an Edison hug?” She smiled meekly at them. The group exchanged a few glances of consideration. She stared at them with hopeful eyes. Shirley wearily rose to her feet and started hobbling towards her.  
“Come here,” she whispered, taking Annie in her arms. The rest of the group crowded around them. They were an awkward entanglement of arms but they all held one another in a close, loving embrace.  
“I love you guys. If there was something wrong, I _promise_ I’d tell you,” she lied, her words muffled into Shirley’s shoulder. Jeff pulled back from the hug, throwing his arms in the air as a gesture of ‘I told you so.’ The rest of the group pulled away and they looked at their diorama in silence for a moment. Annie was the next to speak.  
“Well… Rich is here so… see you guys later?”  
“Yeah, sorry we put you through… all that. We’ve just been worried about you,” Britta said. Troy nodded in agreement.  
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I appreciate the concern. It means a lot, really. But, I’m fine!” she insisted. Britta smiled at her softly. Annie scanned the group's faces. They all looked content with the reconciliation, but there was a definite atmosphere of worry and doubt that hung around unpleasantly. Britta handed her the bottle of pills with a gentle sigh.  
“We trust you.”


	14. Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Just a sappy note to start... I really really REALLY appreciate all the comments I've been getting. This has been a new, different experience for me and the best part (by far) is reading your comments. I love hearing your thoughts and I just want to say thank you for all your encouraging words. My heart flutters with every email notification about new comments. Thank you all so much!  
> Okay, dial it back... on to the story.  
> So yeah, last chapter was a bit shorter. I thought it would be a nice little pause from all the drama. But, we're back to it! This one's longer and fairly dialogue heavy.  
> Warning for emotional abuse, intimidation and manipulation (gas-lighting).

Jeff woke up sweating. He had had another lewd dream starring Annie. This time it had really affected him; more than ever before. He was breathing heavily and fighting the urge to relieve himself. He had a raging erection and was madly gripping at his sheets to stop his hands from touching himself. He was throbbing with desire and couldn’t help it when one of his hands mindlessly dipped under his covers and into his boxers. He was so sensitive, he groaned upon the first touch. He slowly started rubbing up and down his length. As he stroked himself, he tried to force his mind off of his young friend and on to anyone else. He thought of Britta, Slater, and numerous red headed women he had slept with. His mind kept wandering back to her though. There was a bigger feeling inside of him when he thought of her. He tried to convince himself it wasn't really _her_ , just her body. Despite his attempt to justify his acts, guilt and shame pricked his skin as he pleasured himself while thinking of her. His breathing picked up and he started stroking himself faster. He decided that as long as he thought of the Annie from his _dreams_ , it was okay. The Annie from his dreams was provocative, reckless, and wild. She was much bolder than the real Annie. But as Jeff rubbed himself, his mind kept twisting back to the real Annie; her gentle eyes, her loving nature, her soft smile. He pinched his eyes shut trying to shake the thoughts away. The real Annie was off limits. He brought his mind back to the gratuitously lustful Annie from his dreams. His hand pumped harder and faster. He clenched his teeth and started grunting as he rubbed himself. He could feel himself nearing climax. As he came, his mind landed on the real Annie. He thought of her.  
Annie.  
Annie, who pushed herself to be the best. Annie, who saw the good in everyone. Annie, who wanted nothing more than to be a good friend to all. Annie, who was made for true love. Annie, who strove for perfection in every aspect of her life. He couldn’t stop picturing her as he came down from his mind fogging high. He panted, catching his breath, and started frowning, deeply ashamed. He took a shower trying to wash away his disgust. He had just pleasured himself while thinking of his kindest, most innocent and youngest friend. He had touched himself while thinking of someone who carried so much love for him. He had taken that love and perverted it for his own pleasure. He felt like an absolute pig.

When Jeff got to anthropology, he refused to look at Annie, even when she smiled at him as he was walking in. He sat at the back of the class with Britta and glanced enviously at Rich, whose hand was planted on Annie’s knee.  
“Hey,” Britta greeted. Jeff grunted back, not in the mood for any sort of conversation.  
“Oh, well what’s your problem?” she questioned, glaring at him.  
“Well, the annoying blonde sitting next to me in my _fake_ anthropology class in _community college_ and… probably something else. I’ll just blame the economy for now,” he snapped. She frowned at him with pouty lips.  
“Jeez, forget I said anything.” She turned away from him, leaning down over the desk to rest her chin on her arms which were crossed in front of her. Jeff momentarily felt bad for being so short with her. His apology got caught in his throat however when he heard Annie’s giggling from across the room. He watched as she playfully punched Rich in the arm and started snorting with wild laughter. She brought a hand to her mouth, shocked and embarrassed by her graceless laugh. This prompted Rich to join in the laughter as well. He rolled his eyes and switched on his phone.

The “class” had started and everyone was drinking. Shirley, Annie and Rich were the only ones without alcohol surging through them. Their fun was interrupted as Dean Pelton entered the room with a reporter. The class fell to a tense silence as Professor Duncan ran out of the room to get the non-existent exam papers.  
“Wow-ee!” Dean Pelton gushed, “this _is_ a real college.”  
He affirmed this often, as if he needed to convince people (and himself) that it was true. Annie frowned, shifting slightly in her seat. She wished her education was more legitimate. She loved Greendale. She loved how it accepted everyone, flaws and all. But, deep down, she longed for more. She knew she had potential for something great and she wondered how much better her life could be going if she was attending _real_ classes. Rich soothed her distress with a gentle rub on the back. Jeff sunk down in his seat, scowling at Rich’s hand. He watched with a shameful envy as it drifted down the curve of her back.  
“After this, we should check out the World Food Festival in the parking lot,” the dean suggested to the writer of _Dean Magazine_.  
“No way!” Star-Burns exclaimed from the back row, most likely over enthused due to his slightly tipsy state of mind.  
“There are lunch trucks with 18 different nationalities of food,” he continued, “You know what? Not different, equal. Equal to whites. You know what? Better than whites.” Jeff rose from his seat, prepared to rid the class of the dean’s presence.  
“Oh, I think that sounds like an awesome thing to do immediately. I bet the readers of _Dean Magazine_ would love it,” he concluded. Britta watched his barely convincing argument fail with her arms crossed. The class rumbled with small agreements but the reporter refused.  
“I’m good. I’d like to stay here and check out this unorthodox exam.”  
The class groaned. Shirley’s cry lasted longer and sounded much more pained than everyone else's.  
“Shirley, you okay?” Ben asked with genuine concern. She nodded insistently.  
“Uh-huh! Just a little indigestion… I’ve been having it all morning.”  
“Well, hold on. Could they be contractions?” Rich asked, butting into the conversation.  
“Oh dear, no… It’s too early for that. My other two came right on schedule! Maybe even a little late. Jordan was in here so long, he came out with a driver’s license,” she laughed.  
“Funny!” Rich exclaimed, pointing a giddy finger gun at the troubled mother, “But, just because your first two were on time, doesn’t necessarily mean this one will be. All babies are different!”  
“Chang babies are always premature,” Ben added unhelpfully, Shirley closed her eyes, desperately trying to tune him out, “We gestate fast because we’re better at obtaining nutrients. Some need only 8 months depending on how much of the mother they eat.”  
Rich flashed a troubled glance at Ben as Shirley ignored him. She reached for her antacid, hoping to ease her indigestion. From the back of the room, Britta jogged over to share her unwanted two cents.  
“Oh, uh, Shirley,” she started, sliding to sit beside her, “that is full of chemicals. I wouldn’t expose your baby to that.”  
“Actually, nothing in that antacid could harm the baby,” Rich added from across the row, “Of course, there’s no point in taking it if those cramps are in fact contractions.” Britta turned to Rich with a bit of a scowl. She didn’t like being corrected, but it was hard to glare at Rich’s friendly smile.  
“Yeah, but Shirley knows her body. If she says it’s indigestion, it’s indigestion,” Britta retorted. Rich nodded and gave a thumbs up.  
“Okie-dokie,” he laughed. Before Britta could open her mouth again, Shirley waved an impatient hand in front of her face.  
“Mm, sorry Britta, but I’ll take PHD over GED any day.”  
Britta’s face fell with mild hurt as Shirley addressed Rich.  
“Dr. Rich, how would I know if they’re contractions rather than indigestion cramps?”  
“Rich is fine, Shirley,” he reassured with a smile, “Contractions will come with back pain and some pelvic pressure. They’re like cramps that rise and fall in terms of intensity… like a wave.”  
Shirley listened with a pained face, her heart sinking as Rich’s description matched her symptoms.  
“Oh… Oh my,” she gasped, worry spreading throughout her tense body.  
“Shirley? Are you okay?” Annie questioned from beside Rich. Shirley stood up and started waddling to the front of the room as if she was going to make a mad dash to the hospital.  
“Yeah, yeah, I just… oooohhhh no,” Shirley whined, keeling over in pain. Rich rose and placed a comforting hand on her back.  
“Hey, maybe we should-“ he started. His voice trailed off when Shirley gasped. Her water broke. The class erupted into exclamations of shock and awe.  
“Um, Rich?” Annie cried anxiously, waiting for his guidance.  
“Let’s get her a seat,” he directed. Jeff and Chang pushed Duncan’s desk out of the way as Rich guided her to the professor’s chair. Annie and Britta followed close behind, their eyes wide with worry.  
“This can’t be happening! It’s too soon,” Shirley whined through her pain.  
“I think your baby would have to disagree,” Rich laughed as he sat her down. Dean Pelton addressed the class with unsure leadership.  
“Oh goodness, okay, alright. This is not a big deal.”  
The panicked glares of Shirley, Annie and Britta forced him to restart.  
“Wait, I mean, it _is_ a big deal. It’s just not a big bad deal. It’s a big good deal,” he continued, turning from the reporter to the class, “If I could have everyone’s attention, actually, would like _not_ to have your attention. Okay, give me your attention, this student is having a baby. What am I talking about? You already know. Okay-"  
Rich cut off Dean Pelton’s freak out.  
“Hey, Dean. You know what you can do? Bring your car around to the back so we can take her to the hospital, okay?”  
The dean turned to follow Rich’s directives but stopped to talk to the reporter about his Prius. Annie urged him to go. Rich turned his attention back to Shirley who was begging Britta to call Andre.  
“Okay, just breathe with me,” he said to her calmly. He started breathing loudly and with over exaggeration so Shirley could follow along.  
“This has _got_ to be a Chang baby. Changs are _never_ born in hospitals. More like taxicabs, hardware stores, bank lines, sewers. My nephew Jin was born on a treadmill at-“ Rich interrupted as he saw the growing fear and agitation on Shirley’s face.  
“Ben, buddy, let’s let Shirley focus on her breathing. There’s still plenty of time to get her to the hospital,” he chimed. Annie gave him a quick encouraging nod.  
“Hey, I’m just tryna help the mother of my child get through this!” Ben rebuked.  
“It’s not your child,” Shirley groaned, her voice trailing off into a moan of pain. Rich turned to Ben with a wide smile, but Annie recognized the hard gleam in his eyes. He was getting angry.  
“Ben, would ya step out in the hall for a sec?”  
“No way, Lionel _Rich_ ie. I’m not missing the birth of my baby!” Annie froze up as she saw Rich’s teeth clench. He kept his sickeningly friendly smile plastered across his face despite his growing irritation.  
“Sugar Boots said he’ll meet us at the hospital,” Britta said, running up to give Shirley a comforting pat on the shoulder.  
“Great news,” Rich exclaimed, moving on quickly, “Britta, be a doll and take him outside?”  
Britta fought the urge to scowl at Rich for saying, “be a doll.” Something about the condescending cadence of those words irked her to no end. Given the circumstances, she swallowed her pride, nodded, and seized Ben by the arm, pulling him out.  
“No! I have a right to be here! That’s my baby! No!” he shouted as Britta dragged him away.  
“Shirley, just stay calm,” Rich reassured.  
“Where is the dean?” Annie asked, dread soaking through her words. Rich flashed her a warning glance that meant ‘cool it.’ She dropped her eyes to the ground and went silent, not wanting to contribute to the fearful atmosphere.

A few minutes passed with Shirley groaning and breathing forcefully in an attempt to keep calm. Rich stayed kneeling in front of her with comforting words. Annie stayed behind her, gently massaging her shoulders. Britta and Ben could be heard arguing from the hall. As Shirley let out another guttural cry, the dean stormed in the room, breathing heavily. Britta followed a thrashing Chang into the room to listen to the update.  
“Hey, Dean. Your car just outside, then?” Rich asked, worriedly taking in the man’s dirty, beaten appearance.  
“Okay, Rich… _guys_ … please don’t be mad. My car… might’ve been overturned,” he panted.  
“What?!” Jeff scowled.  
As the dean explained the situation in the parking lot with the food festival having turned into a bit of a war zone, Rich fought back harsh remarks.  
“Annie, call 911, please,” he said somberly.  
He lost his smile, but remained calm. Annie nodded and got her phone out despite the dean’s insistence that ambulances were also being overturned. Rich kept instructing Shirley to breathe. Annie returned looking sickly.  
“They said it’ll take over an hour because of a race _kerfuffle_ ,” she explained with a biting glare at the dean. Rich nodded and pursed his lips.  
“Okay, Shirley,” he started, his voice low and gentle, “we won’t be making it to the hospital, okay?”  
“No, no. Dr. Rich. I can’t have my baby here! I need to get to the hospital and be with the father of my baby!” she protested with a pleading expression.  
“Well, that father might be me, so-“ Chang started in a reassuring tone, leaning in closer to Shirley.  
“Ben!” Rich yelled, gruffly cutting off Ben’s troubling words.  
He had turned to glare at Ben and had thrown his hand up as if he was ready to backhand Ben in the face. The room went silent, shocked by Rich’s unfamiliar aggressive tone and actions. Even Shirley, who was a little preoccupied with labor pains, faltered at his harsh nature. Rich huffed with a laugh, trying to play off his outburst as common frustration.  
“Sorry, Ben? Could you give her some space?”  
Ben was suddenly in no mood to argue. He stepped back and tugged on the bottom of his shirt like a little boy that had just been scolded. The rest of the class tried to move past Rich’s unforeseen switch in behavior, but all around the room, people exchanged confused and worried glances. Annie’s eyes stayed glued on the ground. She knew Jeff was staring at her, waiting for some sort of reaction. She ignored him, though she could feel his gaze burning through her. Rich readdressed Shirley.  
“Shirley, listen to me. You’re having the baby right here. You can do this, okay? You _have_ to do this.”  
The room fell into an apprehensive silence as the class waited for Shirley’s response.  
“Okay,” she whined. A relieved, collective sigh was released as Shirley accepted the conditions at hand.  
“Okay,” Rich repeated with a comforting grin.

Rich delivered Shirley’s baby with no major bumps. The hardest part was trying to control his rage with Ben. While Rich found the man to be tiresome, Shirley was appreciative for Ben’s attempted support. Rich had managed to get through the delivery without anymore startling fits. Shirley was taken to the hospital to be monitored once the ambulances arrived. The class applauded her bravery as she was rolled out of the room with a bright, yet tired, beaming smile. The applause continued for Rich, classmates patting his back. Jeff loathed that the whole class was celebrating Rich. He clapped despite his resentment and gave a bored smirk, trying not to let his irritation show. The study group approached Annie, who was glued to Rich’s side. They surrounded the couple.  
“Nice one, Dr. Rich,” Abed commented. He nodded fondly as if he was familiar with the feeling of delivering a baby.  
“So… what does she look like… y’know? Down…” Pierce’s voice trailed off as he gestured to his crotch.  
“Pierce!” Annie scolded.  
“You’re disgusting,” Britta added, her arms folded angrily over her chest. Rich grimaced uncomfortably as Pierce shrugged. Troy mumbled, “That’s creepy man,” under his breath as Britta turned her attention to Rich.  
“You wanna go for lunch? My treat… as a thank you for helping Shirley,” she offered. Jeff turned to flash an urgent scowl at Britta. His heart was racing with a pleading desperation that Rich would decline.  
“Oh, well that’s very sweet of you! I wouldn’t wanna encroach if you guys already have plans, though. I’m happy to just grab a bite at home,” he insisted, throwing his arm around Annie’s shoulder. She looked stiff, only half-present. She wore a bored smile. She was tuning out the conversation since she knew she wouldn’t be the one to make any sort of decision.  
“Ah, come on. Let me do this for you!” Britta pleaded. Jeff cut in.  
“Britta, don’t push him. If he wants to go home, let him.”  
Rich smiled warmly at Jeff, but Jeff couldn’t help but notice the threatening undertone. It brought him back to the troublesome confrontation in the men’s room during Pierce's and Wu Mei's engagement dinner. His face wrinkled with subtle anguish under Rich’s controlling gaze.  
“Well, sure! I don’t see why not!” he concluded, giving Annie’s shoulder a squeeze. She smiled merrily, as if that was her cue.

The group decided to go to Señor Kevin’s. As they sat around the table, waiting for their food, the group praised Rich and gushed over him. They worshiped him with relentless admiration. Jeff was getting increasingly agitated.  
“Does that happen often? How many emergency deliveries have you done before?” Abed queried.  
“Happens more often than you’d think! Not an everyday thing but still more common than I ever expected. Today was my third one.”  
“Your _third_ one? Wow... you handled it like a seasoned professional. That’s impressive,” Britta commented.  
“Well, you have to be prepared for anything in my field. It's a lot of stress, but you have peoples’ _lives_ at hand,” he explained, nodding solemnly. He continued sporting his intoxicating smile.  
“Like a God…” Pierce added with a devious chuckle.  
“It is a lot of responsibility, yes.”  
Jeff decided Rich had had enough of the spotlight. He glanced at Annie who was staring lifelessly at the table with a weak smile.  
“How do you think you’d handle that, Annie?” Jeff asked. Annie perked up hearing her name but she was taken aback by the attention thrown on her. She hadn’t really been listening.  
“I mean, you’re interested in the medical field. So, what do you think about the stress of handling lives?” Jeff elaborated.  
“Well, Annie’s more interested in admin-“ Rich started. Jeff cut him off with a sarcastic glare.  
“I didn’t ask _you_ , Rich. I asked Annie,” Jeff jabbed, bringing his eyes back to her.  
He ignored Rich’s shocked, offended expression. Annie’s heart started pounding in her chest. She glanced at Rich and watched him nod disdainfully with a gentle smile. The rest of the group looked to Jeff, wondering why he was forcing such a tense atmosphere.  
“I’m sorry. I just wanted t-“ Rich began slowly. Jeff showed little patience.  
“Just wanted to keep control of the conversation? She can speak for herself, Rich. This isn’t about you,” Jeff scoffed as he continued, “And yet, you think _I’m_ the self-centered one?”  
All around the table, eyes widened and jaws dropped. Everyone looked to Rich.  
“Jeff. Let’s take a step back. What’s the problem, here?” he asked, forcing a cheerfully neutral tone.  
Jeff desperately wanted to keep his cool, but his irritation was bubbling over. He was about to snap.  
“Well, _Rich_. The problem is you’ve got _everyone_ fooled. They all think you’re just the greatest. A real swell guy. I know you’re not. You’re a phony.”  
“Jeff,” Britta warned, her voice hushed with nervous urgency.  
Troy’s eyes were bugging out of his head. Abed studied Rich’s expression. He evaluated every aspect of his face, trying to read him. Pierce giggled to himself, sipping his drink and then rubbing his hands together gleefully as the argument escalated.  
“You sit there on your high horse and judge us. You’re no better. I know it. I know you’re just as pathetic as the rest of us.”  
“Oh, Jeffrey. I don’t think you’re pathetic,” Rich reassured.  
To Jeff’s ears, his tone was biting. To Jeff’s eyes, his face was patronizing. He just shook his head, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed.  
“Bullshit. Of course you do. You think you’re so much better than us.”  
“Look, man. I’m not responsible for your feelings of inadequacy.” Rich’s chipper tone and expression darkened ever so slightly as he stared down Jeff.  
“It’s not about me feeling inadequate. I _don’t_ feel inadequate,” Jeff insisted, though he really did feel insecure with Rich around, “What’s there to feel inadequate about? You’re not better than me, _man_ ,” he concluded, mocking Rich’s tone.  
“I never said I was,” Rich countered, a threatening grin pulling at his lips. Abed winced as he noticed the dark underlying expression on Rich’s face. He glanced to Annie. She was flushed red, glaring down at her lap.  
_Ah... there’s something bigger at play here_ , he assessed.  
“You don’t have to say it. It’s just who you are. You do this whole humble, nice guy shtick… underneath it all you’re just getting off with that sweet feeling of superiority. And you know, you can act like you’re better than us all you want, but everyone’s got issues. And the fact that _we_ actually acknowledge ours technically makes _us_ better than _you_ … keeping yours all hidden.”  
“Jeff,” Rich laughed, “I’m not hiding anything.”  
His voice was annoyingly cool. He was breathing steadily, demonstrating complete control. He had a subtle devious grin. His expression contrasted greatly to Jeff’s; whose lips were pursed in frustration and whose chest was heaving with rage.  
Jeff wasn’t ready to stop. He wasn’t going to be ready to stop until Rich was just as broken up as him.  
Jeff slammed his hand on the table, making the glasses shake and everyone jump. He had gotten the attention of other patrons in the restaurant as well.  
“You’re not a good person!” he shouted, pointing a harsh finger towards Rich.  
Rich stared back looking incredulously shocked. There was something giddy gleaming in his eyes, though. He almost seemed pleased that Jeff was spiraling.  
“Take it easy. We’re all friends here,” Rich chuckled. Annie let her eyes drift to Rich for only a second. She didn’t understand how he could possibly say that after everything he’d said about them to her.  
“We are _not_ friends,” Jeff huffed.  
“Okay,” Rich sighed with a soft chuckle, hiding his irritation under a charming smile. There was a brief uncomfortable pause before Jeff spoke up again.  
“Is this what you wanted?” Jeff asked curtly.  
“Uh... excuse me?” Rich said with a confused chuckle.  
“You wanted me to have my little outburst so you could sit there all composed and unbothered,” Jeff jabbed with a passive-aggressive shrug, “Do you feel like the bigger man because you didn’t engage in an argument _you_ provoked?”  
“What did I do to provoke any of this?” Rich asked, his voice growing stern.  
“Please, you know exactly what you’re doing,” Jeff rebuked.  
“Enlighten me, then,” Rich challenged. Despite the confrontational nature of his words, his tone remained fairly friendly. He raised a finger, halting Jeff in his tracks as he continued, “But let me ask you something, Jeff. Do you feel like the bigger man because you’re trying to reduce me so you don’t feel bad as about yourself?”  
“Well, whip ‘em out… someone get a ruler,” Pierce whispered before letting out a wheezy chuckle. Britta glared at him in disgust. The two men ignored Pierce’s comment and kept arguing.  
“This isn’t about me!” Jeff shouted. Rich gave Jeff no time for reasoning.  
“Oh, really? Because I don’t think this is about me. You’re mad at me because I’m not flawed enough?”  
“You _are_ flawed, Rich! You're not perfect! You’re just as messed up as the rest of us. My issue isn’t that you aren’t flawed, because I _know_ you are. My issue is that you’re _pretending_ you’re not, making the rest of us feel like terrible people because we aren’t as 'good' as you!”  
A painfully awkward silence took over the table. Abed shook his head, embarrassed by Jeff’s eruption.  
“I’m not faking being a good person, Jeff. Who would do that?” Rich replied softly.  
“A monster,” Jeff pointed at Rich again, “You’re a monster.”  
“Jeff, enough,” Britta pleaded. Abed observed Rich’s stunned expression. He watched on curiously as a subtle air of satisfaction drifted across Rich's face.  
_Oh, he **did** want this._  
“Alright,” Rich started, pushing his chair out with a sigh, “I think we should reschedule this lunch for when we’re… in better head spaces,” he chuckled, glancing at Jeff. He rose from his seat gave Annie a pat on the shoulder. She rose to leave with him.  
“Maybe Annie wants to stay with us,” Jeff challenged, before they could turn away.  
“Hmm?” Rich hummed. He put his hands on Annie’s shoulders as he stood tall behind her. Annie just stared at the table, feeling beyond embarrassed.  
“Maybe she’d like to stay and have lunch with us. Annie?” he gestured to her seat, offering that she stay.  
“You trying to make a point?” Rich questioned, his words coming out a bit more accusatory than intended. Jeff shrugged.  
“No. I’m just saying she has that option. She’s your girlfriend, not your shadow. She can make her own decisions,” Jeff explained calmly, earning a nod of contempt from Rich, “Annie, you can stay with us if you want.”  
Annie turned her head up to Rich. He looked peaceful, but Annie recognized his threateningly stiff smile.  
“Of course,” Rich agreed, turning his gaze down to her, “Annie? Do you want to stay here?” His thumb drove into her shoulder as his grip subtly tightened. She didn’t like either of her options. She just shook her head, 'no.' Rich turned his gaze back to a defeated looking Jeff.  
“We’ll see you around,” he said kindly with a nod as he turned to go, pulling Annie along with him. Jeff watched with his teeth gritted as the couple walked away. His heart dropped as Rich’s hand fell to the small of Annie’s back, guiding her outside. He huffed and glared at the table. Britta stared at him with her brow furrowed.  
“What the hell was that?” she reprimanded, giving Jeff a shove on the arm. Jeff didn’t answer. His head was clouded with anger and strong feelings that he usually ignored. Abed answered for him.  
“I think Jeff has a point,” he shrugged. Britta turned her glare to Abed, sourly crossing her arms, “Something’s up with that guy.”  
“Well, it would’ve been nice to have your support back there,” Jeff sneered. Abed shook his head.  
“I didn’t notice anything until you were yelling at him. I don’t know what it is yet, but I think you're right; he _did_ want to make you mad for some reason.”  
Jeff turned back to Britta with a slightly smug expression, pleased to have someone agreeing with him.  
“Don’t encourage him, Abed,” Britta barked, pointing a snappish finger at him, “The only problem here is Jeff’s compulsive, overly competitive need to be the best.”  
Jeff rolled his eyes, slouching back in his chair.

After a quiet drive to Rich’s apartment, Annie slumped down on his couch. She felt exhausted, completely drained. Rich sat down beside her, gently grunting as he hit the couch. The silence lingered for a moment as Rich stared at her.  
“What’s wrong? You look a bit down,” he asked softly.  
“Just tired. Guess I don’t really feel well,” she shrugged. She kept staring glumly at the ground. There was a brief pause before Rich shifted in closer to her with a low chuckle.  
“Well, I know what’ll make you feel better,” he said, his breath tickling her neck as he started kissing it. She held her shoulder up higher, blocking her neck as she leaned away.  
“No, Rich. I’m not really in the mood.”  
He persisted, leaning in closer to keep his lips attached to her neck. He forced his hand between her legs and started running it up her thigh. His fingers dug into her leg as she shifted uncomfortably. She pushed against him and pulled his hand off of her leg.  
“Please, Rich. I said no,” she urged, squirming away from him. He leaned in again, pushing her back down on the couch as he was nearly crawling over top of her. His hand worked its way between her legs again. He brushed her leg with gentle touches, slowly moving higher up.  
“Come on…” he grumbled. She struggled against him, finally breaking free with a gruff shove. She rose from off the couch in a troubled huff, moving herself away from his relentless advances. He watched in shock as she spun to face him, her expression unfamiliarly angry.  
“Why don’t you ever listen to me?” she questioned.  
“What?” Rich asked with a disbelieving grin. Annie wasn’t joking. She crossed her arms.  
“Rich you don’t listen to me. You don’t let me do anything for myself.”  
Rich’s lighthearted expression grew more serious as he listened to her claims.  
“What are you talking about?”  
“You! Y-you don’t- you…” the words got lost in her throat as tears welled up in her eyes. She was feeling overwhelmingly nervous under his unwavering gaze. Rich rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.  
“We can’t have this discussion if you’re just going to stand there and cry.”  
She brought a shaky hand to her face and flicked away a tear.  
“You don’t listen, and you… you…” she stammered, trying to find the confidence to keep going.  
“Go on, Annie. Use your big girl words,” Rich mocked. She snapped. Her arms fell down to her sides. She clenched her fists and pursed her lips as her breathing picked up. She started blinking frantically as she forced herself to stand tall, holding her head up.  
“Don’t talk down to me,” she ordered, her voice trembling. She glared at him as he sat self-righteously on the couch.  
“What do you want me to say?” he asked with a dismissive shrug.  
“Explain yourself! Why do you make all the decisions? Why don’t... why don't you trust me? Why do you need to control everything I do?”  
“You can’t possibly think that’s true.”  
“It is!” Rich shook his head.  
“You’re your own person, Annie. I don’t control you.”  
“But- But you _do_ ,” she insisted. He glared at her through squinted eyes.  
“Is this about the restaurant? You could’ve stayed with them if you wanted.”  
“Yeah?” she challenged, “We both know what would’ve happened if I did.”  
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked in a low, threatening tone. Annie tried to keep her voice and breathing steady as she continued.  
“Whenever something doesn’t go your way you get... you get really mad, Rich. You... sometimes you hurt me.”  
Rich rose from the couch, taking a menacing step towards her.  
“I only ‘hurt’ you because I _have_ to.”  
“You don’t have to! We- we could just talk about things, but... but you don’t listen to me!” He stepped in closer, forcing her to step back to maintain a safe distance between them. He raised his arm, pointing at her with great rage. The furious look on his face was beyond intimidating.  
“You are _so_ ungrateful. _Everything_ I do is to keep you safe and protected from the world. You’re just so _fucking_ stupid and sensitive, I can’t reason with you!”  
“I- I'm not stupid. I-"  
“How _dare_ you blame _me_ for your _own_ issues? I do _everything_ I can to be _perfect_ for you and you don’t appreciate that. You know how that makes _me_ feel?”  
“Rich,” she started, backing away from him as he continued to inch towards her with growing intensity.  
“I am only doing what’s best for you. I am only trying to protect you! How is it _my_ fault that you don’t understand that?”  
She didn’t answer. She was focused on keeping him away.  
“Huh? Go ahead, I’m listening! Though you claim I _never_ do, here I am, listening.”  
Her head started pounding. Somewhere along the way, she’d gotten confused. The argument didn’t make sense to her anymore.  
“God, do you know how _pathetic_ you sound? Trying to twist everything around on me? Maybe take some responsibility for your _own_ shortcomings instead of pinning all this shit on me,” he yelled. His gestures were getting more aggressive as he continued stepping closer.  
“Stop,” she whispered, her hands raised defensively as she took another step back.  
“Stop? Well, what is it, Annie? Do you want to have this conversation now or not?”  
“This… this isn’t a conversation. You’re scaring me,” she explained in a small voice. Rich stopped in his tracks with a harsh scoff.  
“Right, okay. _I’m_ the bad guy,” he said, throwing his hands up as he took a step back. Annie tried to stop shaking as he stood glaring at her with his arms crossed.  
“What’s your end goal here… huh? What were you hoping to get out of all your accusations?” he asked.  
“I… I want you to stop yelling at me and... hurting me and- and I want my feelings to matter and…” her voice trailed off as her throat tightened.  
“I never said your feelings didn’t matter,” Rich sighed. A miserably wretched silence invaded the room. Rich continued.  
“Look, I’m sorry you feel this way. I’m sorry you think I’m this terrible creature that just wants to hurt you and-“  
“Rich I never said-“  
“No, no. I listened to you. Now, you’re going to listen to me,” he said sternly, “What you need to understand, is that I love you, okay? Everything I do is for you. I need you, Annie. Why would I ever hurt you if it wasn’t to keep you safe? I’ve only been doing what’s best for you and I’m going to continue doing what’s best for you because I love you and you deserve the best. You need to stop overreacting and start acknowledging everything I do for you.”  
He stood still, rigidly awaiting her response.  
“Look at me,” he ordered, stepping towards her with his arms crossed. She brought her teary eyes to meet his.  
“Do you understand?” he asked. She loathed the condescending tone in his voice. She didn’t feel heard. She wondered what this had accomplished. She wasn’t sure she did understand, but she desperately wanted this to be over.  
“Yes.”  
“Good. Do you have anything you’d like to say to me?” he prompted.  
“I’m sorry.”  
“For?”  
“I’m sorry I…” she hurriedly scanned her brain trying to figure out the finer details of the argument, “I’m sorry I doubted your intentions and um… I’m sorry I’ve been ungrateful.”  
Rich let out a contented sigh as he walked in closer, drawing her in for a hug.  
“Thank you.”

The next day, Jeff ran into Rich at school. He saw him in the library and forced himself to walk over and join him to apologize. Britta had scolded him for what felt like hours after his tantrum in the restaurant. He wouldn’t admit Britta made some compelling points, but he would heed her advice and apologize. He didn’t want to. God, he didn’t want to. But it was too late to turn back when Rich spotted him walking over.  
“Hey,” Rich started cautiously. He raised his arms in a surrendered motion and stepped back as if Jeff was about to attack him. With a dramatically defensive greeting like that, Jeff wanted to attack him.  
“Rich, I’m not gonna... throw a fit. I wanted to apologize,” Jeff explained, trying to keep his naturally sarcastic lilt subdued, “Clearly I was going through some stuff and I, unfairly, directed all that anger and self-hatred on to you.”  
Jeff wasn’t sure how much he believed his apology. Sure, _some_ of his outburst was about his own insecurities, but he truly was just aggravated by Rich as a person and knew there had to be a reason why... other than his jealous inadequacy.  
“I feel like a jerk for going all ‘psycho’ on you and I just want to make sure I haven’t done any damage here. We’re good?”  
Rich looked at him with knowing eyes. A smile pulled at his lips as he lowered his arms. There was a smug arrogance about him that was driving Jeff crazy, but he wasn’t about to lose it again.  
“Sure, all good, buddy.”  
Swallowing his anger, Jeff gave a tight smile and a curt nod.  
“Great.”  
Jeff turned to go but was halted as Rich spoke.  
“Y’know, Jeff, I really appreciate that. It takes a great man to admit he’s in the wrong. You’re a good guy.”  
Jeff turned back to face Rich. He had to keep himself calm. Rich’s superior tone made Jeff’s skin crawl.  
“Well, not as good as you… apparently I’m known to be a tad self-centered,” he countered with a smile. Rich chuckled, his eyes dropping to the ground as he took a step towards Jeff.  
“You’re a funny guy, Jeff… I’m glad we’re back on good terms. I’d hate to be at odds with a guy like you.”  
Jeff’s face wrinkled with unshaken confusion, unsure where Rich was going with his rambling.  
“Of course, your position definitely wouldn’t be one of envy either.”  
“What are you talking about?” Jeff asked with abrupt impatience for Rich’s ambiguity.  
“Keep yourself out of trouble, Jeff,” Rich concluded with a firm, but friendly, pat on Jeff's shoulder as he passed him. Jeff frowned with a jumbled mix of shock, fury, and confusion blurring his mind. Jeff’s squinted eyes drilled a hole in Rich’s back as he walked away with a troubling amount of haughty self-assurance.  
_Did he just… threaten me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo... paintball's coming up...


	15. Unanimity and You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I'm back? Yeah, hi. Sorry for being MIA but here's the next part! This one's a few days before paintball. No warnings! Enjoy :)

Abed: _Emergency study group meeting._  
Annie slowly sat up in her bed and read the text with tired eyes. They were barely open as she frowned at the message. She yawned, typing a response.  
Annie: _Why so early?_  
She swung her legs out of bed and stretched before slipping to the ground. Her bare feet tingled unpleasantly against the cold floor of her apartment as she dragged herself into her bathroom. She was lazily running her brush through her hair when she heard her phone go off again.  
Abed: _Study room F… one hour._  
Annie: _Abed, what’s going on?_  
She continued getting ready and kept impatiently checking her phone.  
Annie: _Abed?_  
A few minutes passed before she sent her next text.  
Annie: _Fine. Don't tell me... I'll be there._  
She put some bread in her busted toaster and sighed as she called Rich. She kept her eyes on the unstable appliance while her phone rang.  
“Good morning, baby. Sleep well?”  
“Yeah, did you?”  
“Sure did. Missed waking up next to you, though.”  
Annie giggled.  
“Oh, stop… so, listen. Abed texted me about some emergency meeting thing? He wants me at school for 8.”  
Rich hummed in consideration on the line.  
“What for?”  
“I don’t know… he stopped answering.”  
“Huh, well that’s not ominous at all,” he scoffed.  
Annie sighed to herself as she fiddled with the toaster, trying to stop her breakfast from burning whilst keeping herself safe from burning as well.  
“It’s probably nothing serious. I just wanted to call to let you know I’ll be driving myself in.”  
Annie’s toast popped out. There was a puff of steam that revealed two unevenly toasted slices. She frowned at the toast as she waited for Rich to speak.  
“Rich?”  
“Are you sure? If you think the meeting’s unimportant, maybe just skip it. I’ll take you to school.”  
“No, I should go. Don’t worry about it, really. I’ll see you afterwards.”  
“Annie, I don’t like this,” Rich warned. Annie rolled her eyes but kept her voice gentle and sweet.  
“I know, but I promise it’ll be completely fine.”  
As she spread jam across the crusted surface of her toast, she could hear Rich sighing.  
“Fine, go. My place for dinner?”  
“Sure! Sounds good,” she hummed.  
“Alright. I love you.”  
“Love you, too.”

“Sorry I’m late! This was kind of short notice,” Annie apologized as she slid into her seat.  
She glanced at Abed with a cautious smile, unsure of what was to come.  
“Ahh, fun night with Rich?” Britta teased, pointing across the table as her eyes narrowed, her face twisted into a devious smirk.  
Annie glanced down and saw a big deep purple mark sitting, uncovered, just below her collar bone. She flipped her hair forward, hastily covering the bruise. She decided to go along with Britta’s narrative.  
“Oh, uh, yeah,” she agreed with a soft laugh, blushing shyly.  
Jeff rolled his eyes and started shuffling the deck of cards in his hands more gruffly. Eager to move on, Annie looked to him.  
“So, what’s with the cards? What’s going on?”  
There was an uncomfortable silence. Britta’s cheeky smile faded as she glanced to Shirley. Everyone exchanged uneasy looks; no one willing to speak up. Annie’s expression dropped with worry.  
“What’re we doing?” she repeated.  
She noticed Pierce’s empty chair and her brow furrowed.  
_Is this another intervention?_ she thought, subtly shifting in her seat, getting ready to bolt.  
“We’re… voting,” Troy started meekly.  
“Voting?”  
“We’re taking a vote to see whether or not Pierce will be allowed back with us next year,” Jeff explained, tired of tip-toeing around it. She turned to him with a hurt, hopeless look.  
“What?”  
“Annie, it’s been a long time coming,” Shirley added gravely, shaking her head.  
Annie started shaking her head too.  
“No, no, no,” she mumbled under her breath.  
Abed cocked his head, staring at her timidly tense nature.  
“We think it might be best for the group… y’know moving forward… if-“ Troy stumbled over his words.  
Annie shook her head more frantically, her chest heaving as her breathing picked up. Abed noted how easily she got overwhelmed.  
“No, no. I don’t understand.”  
“It’s really not that complicated, Annie,” Abed started with a confused frown, “We’re voting to get rid of our main antagonist. We all have our antagonistic moments, but Pierce is by far the worst... he doesn’t acknowledge his faults, and blames us for the problems he creates…”  
He carefully watched Annie’s reaction. She kept her face blank and muddled with a lack of understanding. Abed continued with renewed energy, taking his eyes off of Annie as he had noticed her fidgeting uncomfortably under his gaze.  
“Usually good shows and movies need a principal bad guy, but I’m interested in seeing how this group will evolve without one,” he concluded with an eyebrow wiggle.  
Annie shook her head, resisting his explanation.  
“So, you guys want to what… just kick him out?” she asked in disbelief.  
The group let out a jumble of vague, muffled hums and shrugs.  
“Yes,” Jeff stated matter-of-factly with an affirmative nod.  
Annie let out an offended scoff.  
“Look, it’ll be a completely unanimous and anonymous vote. Red cards mean he stays, black cards mean he’s out,” Jeff explained as he dealt out the cards.  
Shirley and Troy shared a troubled glance, unsure whether or not they should be offended that the black cards lead to the negative outcome… or positive… depending on the way you look at it.  
“Everyone keep one red card and one black card," Jeff instructed.  
Annie begrudgingly picked up her pile of cards, keeping one red and one black and tossing the rest back to Jeff.  
“I can’t believe you guys want to do this. He’s one of us!” she urged with pleading eyes.  
“Hardly… he’s made it clear he doesn’t value us as people,” Britta murmured, shoving her extra cards back to Jeff.  
“We’ve tolerated his insensitivity long enough,” Shirley said.  
Troy nodded and Abed turned to look at Annie. Her distress grew but she knew it was pointless to try to change their minds.  
“We get you want to be considerate of his feelings for whatever reason… but really think about what you’re doing before you choose your card,” Jeff warned, “Do you really care for this old jerk, or are you just trying to be nice?”  
She frowned down at her lap.  
“You know what you have to do,” Shirley advised at a barely audible whisper as she tossed her card to the middle of the table.  
Troy and Abed locked eyes, gave a quick nod, then pushed their cards along, adding to the pile. Britta threw in her card. Annie slid her card across the table while Jeff placed his in as well. He gave them a small shuffle around as he pulled the cards closer to him. The group sat in an apprehensive silence as he started flipping them over.  
_Ace of clubs, queen of spades, mine, alright, jack of clubs… okay. So far, so good,_ Jeff thought as he turned over the cards.  
He got his hopes up.  
_… Fuck._  
He shot an agitated glance at Annie as he turned over a red card. She looked down, ignoring him.  
_Ace of hearts._  
He turned over the last card, not that it mattered. He bitterly took in the array of cards in front of him. The red card stuck out unpleasantly to Jeff’s eyes. Leaning back in his chair, he pushed the red card forward. His eyes fell back on Annie, who’d been avoiding eye contact. Finally, she looked up at him. He gazed into her sad eyes, but he didn’t feel the usual sadness resonating within him. Not this time. Her misery only irritated him. Annie felt the glares of the rest of the study group fall on her. Before anyone could say anything, Pierce appeared in the doorway.  
Annie smiled weakly at him, trying to perk up, but he didn’t smile back. He stared sourly at the cards on the table as the group awkwardly acknowledged his entry with halfhearted waves and smiles.  
“Oh, sorry. Am I… interrupting?” he asked, shifting his weight. Annie shook her head as the rest of the group went back to scowling at her. She spoke up, ignoring their anger.  
“No Pierce, we were just getting started. Come on, sit down,” she beamed with put on joy.  
“Don’t you lie to me,” he pouted, “If you didn’t want me to come, you should’ve just said so!”  
He turned to go, stomping back outside.  
“Pierce-“ Annie started as she pushed her chair out to follow him.  
“Annie, sit down,” Jeff said, rolling his eyes. She disregarded Jeff's orders and hurried out after Pierce into the hall.  
“Pierce, wait,” she called out after him. She caught up to him and gently tugged on his arm.  
“Pierce-“ He spun to face her, catching her off guard. She stumbled back a step, shrinking away from his disappointed fury.  
“I expected it from them, Annie, but you? You too?”  
Annie didn’t know what to say. Certainly not the truth.  
“Look, we all just showed up a little early and needed to do something to pass the time while we waited for you! It wasn’t… we weren’t… we didn’t _intentionally_ leave you out,” she lied.  
Pierce nodded, though Annie could tell he didn’t believe a word she was saying.  
“Right… well, don’t leave your friends waiting,” he sighed, turning away before she could continue.  
“Pierce…” she whined hopelessly as he walked away, showing no interest in her pleading.  
Her heart sank as she watched him leave. She stomped back to the study room, her face flushed red with anger. The hushed whispers of her friends stopped as she walked in the room. She gathered her things at her seat as they watched her with troubled eyes. She paused, dragging her fuming eyes off of her belongings and up to the unfriendly faces of her study group.  
“What?” she snapped, “Planning on how to get rid of me, next?”  
“Annie-“ Britta started with a small, sorry tone.  
“No, no, it’s fine! I get it. We’re all _so_ accepting until we decide someone’s just not worth the effort.”  
She knew she was being a bit over defensive, but she was too deep in her resentment to calm down.  
“Well, when ‘the effort’ is constantly enduring casual racism, sexism, homophobia, and just about every other type of intolerance, sometimes it isn’t worth it,” Jeff pointed out.  
Annie threw her bag over her shoulder and stormed out of the room, not bothering to engage any further.  
“Where are you going?” Jeff asked with a tired sigh.  
“Class!” she shouted.

She turned the corner and made her way to her introductory healthcare class. She stomped quickly through the halls, her fists clenched down at her sides and her nostrils flared. Luckily, the door to her class was unlocked. She peered in. The class was empty. The lesson wouldn’t start for another 3 hours, but Annie didn’t want to be anywhere near her study group. She wandered into the room and slumped down in a desk near the back of the class. She folded her arms and rested her head down on them. She closed her eyes and sighed to herself, trying to calm down. Her skin was still prickled and hot from her heated words back in the study room. Eventually her breathing regulated and she was able to bring her head up and open her eyes. She rifled through her bag and pulled out her textbook. She read and reread the chapter on bedside manner. The words began to comfort her, as if she was a patient in need of some soothing hope. She looked up at the clock.  
_Two hours and twenty-six minutes to go._  
She tapped on her desk, drumming her fingers against the cool surface. She dragged her fingers lightly across the desk, doodling circles, flowers and hearts with her fingers. She started humming nonsense melodies to fill the stale, quiet air. She watched a slow stream of students pass by in the hall. The school was relatively quiet. Most morning classes had started, leaving the halls rather plain and empty. She turned back to her textbook. She mindlessly flipped through the pages, mainly looking at the charts and pictures. She giggled as she skimmed over the section on geriatric care. One of the old women bore a striking resemblance to what she imagined an elderly Britta would look like; white wiry hair, a bony, upturned nose with pursed lips and slightly saggy, wrinkled skin. She had a severe expression yet still seemed comfortably approachable. Annie kept flipping through her book, forcing her friends out of her mind. Her phone buzzed. She reached into her bag and silently thanked whoever was rescuing her from her boredom.  
Rich: _Meeting go well, sweetie?_  
Annie thought about how to respond.  
_No, it didn’t ‘go well,’_ she thought crossly. Of course, she couldn’t say that, or else she’d have to listen to his endless tiresome warnings about how cruel her friends can be. She’d then have to defend them so he wouldn’t try to forbid her from seeing them... and Annie was in no mood to defend them. She decided to brush over the meeting.  
Annie: _Yeah, it was fine. How’re things at work?_  
Rich: _Slow… thinking of you to get by. ;)_  
Annie blushed, gently biting her lip as she read his message.  
Annie: _Aww you big flirt!_  
Rich: _So, what was the big emergency?_  
She rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to talk about it.  
Annie: _Nothing, really._  
She knew her answer wouldn’t satisfy him.  
Rich: _Why do I feel like you’re hiding something from me…_  
She typed her response carefully, trying to find the perfect words.  
Annie: _We just had to have a discussion about Pierce. He had been a bit bothersome and we had some things to set straight, that's all._  
Rich: _Ah, I see. That situation handled then?_  
Truthfully, no. Annie hated how things ended with the group and she didn’t know how they’d progress, but she was desperate to move on.  
Annie: _Think so! All good!_  
Rich: _So, what’s my girl up to now?_  
Annie: _Killing time before class starts. I’m just sitting alone in here, wishing you were here with me._  
Rich: _And you said I was the flirt!_  
Annie giggled as she typed her response. Her reply got left unsent as a voice startled her from the doorway.  
“Do you always show up to class two hours early? I’m trying to figure out if this is an ‘overkill good student’ Annie thing or a ‘grumpy, leave-me-alone’ Annie thing.”  
She looked up to find Jeff leaning in the doorway. She scowled at him. Dismissing him, she turned her attention back down, trying to ignore him by burying her face in her phone as he would do.  
“Go away, Jeff.”  
“I guess it’s the latter,” he nodded. Jeff waited for Annie to continue their banter, but she refused to even look at him. Her unusually disinterested attitude was disheartening. He swung himself off the door frame and slowly paced into the room. She kept her head down, continuing her silent treatment.  
“So, this is healthcare… good class?”  
She shrugged. He nodded, pursing his lips in annoyance as he looked around the room.  
“I’m not asking because I’m thinking of taking it. Doesn’t seem to be my style. Looks like you’d actually have to put in effort. I’m just asking out of sheer curiosity,” he rambled.  
“Yeah, you’d hate it. Hey, you should probably leave!” Annie chimed, keeping her eyes on her phone.  
Jeff crossed his arms and glared at her. He wasn’t used to being the one that got shooed away. Her continued resistance started to hurt him.  
“Annie, come on. I’m here to make amends.”  
“I’m not,” she rebuked rudely.  
“Look, you know we’d never want to vote you out. You understand it’s different, right?”  
Finally, he got a reaction out of her. She clicked her phone off and looked up at him, shaking her head.  
“No, not really. I don’t think it’s that different at all.”  
“Clearly you’ve forgotten who Pierce is, then.”  
She could feel her skin starting to get prickly again. Her face was reddening with irritation as she continued.  
“I know Pierce!” she snapped, “He’s a flawed person, just like the rest of us. Just like me. Just like you.”  
“Yeahhhh, do me a favor? Don’t ever compare me to Pierce again, thanks.”  
Annie rolled her eyes, infuriated with Jeff’s unnecessary comment. He could feel the anger steaming off of her and decided to be a bit more compliant.  
“Fine, okay. Yes, we’re all flawed, but Pierce is _Pierce_. He is a crazy, self-obsessed whack-job with more offensive opinions than every controversial comedian put together. He’s not good for our group.”  
Annie rose from her seat, asserting herself in the conversation.  
“And who are you, Jeff?”  
He was slightly taken aback by her burst of confrontational energy. He frowned, gathered himself, and continued.  
“The charming and witty de facto leader with-“  
“No, who are you to abandon one of our own?”  
“Please, we’re not abandoning him,” he scoffed.  
She crossed her arms and glared doubtfully at him.  
“Fine! We’re abandoning him! Whatever you want to call it, Annie. We’re leaving him behind because he-“  
“What? Because he’s too flawed? We can keep going in circles all you want, Jeff. He’s one of us and you’re giving up on him.”  
The heated tension wavered for a moment as Jeff’s eyes fell to the mark on Annie’s chest. He’d never seen a hickey that big before. It almost seemed unreal. He didn’t think a pleasantly mild guy like Rich would even be into that kind of thing. Of course, he didn’t like to think about _whatever_ Rich would get up to with Annie in the bedroom. He studied the mark and frowned, squinting slightly as he examined her chest.  
_Unless Rich’s mouth is abnormally large, that’s not a hickey,_ he concluded. He knew her neighborhood wasn't the best. He wondered if she'd maybe gotten tangled up in a fight.  
She noticed him staring at the bruise, so she casually shifted her hair, forcing his eyes off of the nasty spot. He brought his eyes up to meet hers. She tried to keep glaring at him, but his expression had softened and a faint gleam of concern flashed across his face, making it hard for her to keep scowling.  
_No, it's probably multiple hickeys… just clumping together?_  
Much to his displeasure, he kept thinking the strange mark. He had to force his eyes shut to shake himself of the raunchy images that appeared in his mind. Imaginings of Rich’s greedy lips pressed forcefully against Annie’s skin, leaving behind a trail of possessive marks, made Jeff wince in revulsion. Neither of them spoke for what felt like an eternity. Though it had really only been 10 seconds, Jeff had forgotten what Annie said.  
“I… uh,” Jeff never lacked tact. Usually he could recover from any unexpected pause or shift in a conversation. Plagued with ponderings of the dark patch on her chest, his mind was coming up empty.  
“Just go away, Jeff,” Annie sighed, sliding back down into her seat with a disappointed huff.  
This was not how Jeff had wanted the discussion to go. He sighed and threw his head back, annoyed by her dismal nature.  
“What are we gonna have to do to make it up to you?”  
“You don’t have to make it up to _me!_ You have to make it up to _Pierce_ ,” she retorted.  
Jeff crossed his arms, sarcastically looking down at her.  
“Right. So, if we apologize to Pierce, you’ll forgive us,” Jeff reasoned.  
Annie shrugged, clearly not ready to move on.  
“I just don’t understand. You guys wanted to get rid of Pierce for being a weirdo with flaws- like the rest of us- and now you’re here trying to apologize to _me?_ ”  
“Well, you really seemed to take the voting to heart.”  
“How do you think Pierce feels?!”  
“Did you tell him we were voting about him?” Jeff asked calmly.  
“No,” Annie whispered, trying to match Jeff’s agonizingly cool composure.  
Jeff nodded and silence overtook them again.  
“So… is this you out of the group?”  
“I don’t know,” Annie mumbled, keeping her eyes on her desk.  
“Annie, you… you see the good in people. Which is great, especially when they can’t see the good in themselves,” he wondered if she knew that part of him was referring to himself, “But, sometimes, looking past their faults can get you into trouble. Pierce inflicts way more pain than he does any good. Deep down, you know it too.”  
She shook her head. She wanted to scream at him. She felt building anger flow from her head down to her toes, warming her blood. Her skin was crawling with restless turmoil as she fought to control herself.  
“Annie-“  
“What’s left to say, Jeff?” she whimpered, continuing with growing intensity, “You know how I feel about this and that’s not going to change. Call me naive, call me sensitive, call me stupid, I don’t care! Just don't-"  
“Hey, hey, woah. You’re not stupid. I never said-“  
“Don’t. Just go,” she pleaded, staring at her desk to avoid his eyes.  
She waved him off. She refused to let him see her all teary-eyed. He stood frozen, looking down at her with great sadness and worry. He didn’t know how to make it all better. He wanted to stay and try to fix things, but she was very adamant that she wanted him gone.  
He was conflicted. Part of him wanted Annie to understand their perspective. He wanted her to wake up to their reality and see Pierce for the person he really is. Another part of him longed for a heart like hers. He wondered how she saw Pierce that made her want to defend him so much. He sighed, walking out of the class with a heavy heart. Leaving things on such a gloomy note made his whole body ache.  
_This isn’t what I wanted._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paintball is next! I'm getting busier with life (ugh) but I'm going to try to get the next chapter out soon!


End file.
